


Every Dark Night Turns Into Day

by Kittyinaz



Series: Set You Free Trilogy [1]
Category: True Blood, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-14
Updated: 2013-12-19
Packaged: 2017-12-26 13:53:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 32
Words: 151,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/966701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kittyinaz/pseuds/Kittyinaz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Godric is sidetracked from his errand to Seattle, which not only changes his destiny, but the destiny of a lost girl, which will set them both free.</p><p>Disclosure: Twilight is owned by Stephanie Myers and True Blood is owned by HBO, Allan Ball and Charlaine Harris.  I own nothing.  Well nothing more than the dream which spawned this.</p><p>For more information, check out my website: http://kittyinaz.wordpress.com/</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue Set You Free

# Set You Free

**[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/favim_com-30243.jpg) **

**Pre Edit Count -   1,709 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter:  Every Storm For_ by Gary Allen.

 

 

 

* * *

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/godrics-car-aston-martin-v12-vantage.jpg)

Godric is on his way to Seattle, Washington, on an errand for his Childe.  Many years ago, when his son was roaming the states, he had come across a couple of vampires killing without regards to keeping the secret.  This had resulted in his Childe creating his own progeny, but the results from that confrontation had been that the guilty Maker, along with their progeny, had to return to their own Maker for a period of time.

The progeny had been freed, per the agreements of Eric’s Queen and the King of Washington.  He is currently working off his debt to Queen Sophie Anne as a procurer.

But his Maker is asking for her own freedom, and Godric is making his way to Seattle to speak for his Child since he is a friend of the King of Washington.  Neither he nor Eric believes that Lorena should be free to wreak her type of havoc, not this close to the Revelation.

As he is driving, he catches a haunting, enticing smell.  He quickly pulls over, exits the car, and inhales deeply.  Without a hesitation, he takes off into the air, tracking the scent.

Flying over the forest, he can detect the rich odors of the wet forest as it starts to drizzle.  As he gets closer to the scent, he can smell other scents in the background, one sweet, the other a heavier earth smell.

 

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/bella-4.jpg)

But then his attention is arrested by a small form below him and he lands.  Seeing the girl on the ground start to shiver as the drizzle starts to get heavier, he immediately shrugs out of his black long coat and quickly covers her.

 

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/godrics-coat.jpg)

He squats down, and with his gloved hand softly moves her hair from her face.  He can hear her muttering, “He left, he left” over and over again.  Something inside him roars out as he can see the pain she is in.

Then he hears a sound and springs into a crouch above her, his fangs dropped and his aura flinging out from him as a warning to whoever dares to intrude.

 

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/twilight_wolfpack___sam_uley_by_luludarling.jpg)

A Native American man walks out of the forest, clothed only in a pair of shorts. He stops short of the vampire in front of him, confused. “Who, what are you?”

Godric snarls at the man, his mind racing as he smells the earthy tones coming from the man in front of him.

The man puts his hands up as he cautiously takes a step back. He tells the creature in front of him, “I am not here to hurt her.  Her father is looking for her; she has been missing.  I am involved as a personal favor to my chief who is her godfather.”

Godric controls himself, with obvious effort, as his hand is still on his beauty’s face.  As she whimpers, he cocks his head where he can see the man, but also check on her.  His face is controlled, but the look of wonder is still there in his eyes.

The man tells the stranger in front of him, “My name is Sam.  What are you?  You are not human, nor are you a Cold One.”

Godric’s head whips around and growls at the name.  He looks over the man in front of him and finally says, “What are you?  I have been around for a long, long time.  And I have never smelled anything like you in all of my years.”

Sam cocks his head to the side looking at the boy in front of him.  But the eyes tell the truth, those eyes have seen many things he could never imagine. He takes a chance and tells the creature in front of him, “I am a werewolf.”

“No, you are not.”  The answer is decisive and quick.

Sam lifts an eyebrow to the man, then decides the easiest way to solve this is to show him.  He drops his shorts and changes all in a moment.

Godric makes sure he is able to grab the girl below him, but other than that doesn’t move.  He tells the wolf in front of him, “You only prove my observation.  I have hunted werewolves in many parts of the world.  They don’t smell like you, nor are they as big.  They also cannot transform that fast on a night without a full moon.”

Sam shifts back to his human form and pulls up the shorts, in case Bella wakens.  Since it didn’t even seem to phase the boy in front of him, he tells him, “That is what we know ourselves as.”

Godric thinks on that as he straightens up.  He tells the wolf in front of him, “A vampire.”

The man immediately replies, “But you smell nowhere as bad as a Cold One.”

Godric looks up at him and comments as his mind still going over the information he had just received, “No, they are a younger breed that appeared.  They are not true Vampires.”

Sam stands back on his feet.  He looks at the man in front of him, admiring his cool attitude.  In fact the only time he had seen any emotion was in relation to Bella.  And something about it reminds him of his own reaction to Emily and Jared’s reaction to Kim.  He blurts out, “Did you imprint on Bella?”

Godric’s mind was wiped with that one question and his eyes are drawn back to the girl below him.  He asks as he tries to make sense of the feelings he is having, “Imprint?”

Sam nods as he tries to explain, “Like nothing is holding you to this earth but her.  She is everything to you. For us it happens in a single meeting of the eyes.”

Then the information clicks.  “Not quite.  But similar.”  He grins.  “It is a good thing for her that I had on gloves tonight.”

Sam moves closer and Godric’s head snaps up.  His hand moves slightly, but taking in Sam’s expression, he explains, “Mating is rare in my kind, but it takes a look and a touch.  Even then, most of us don’t know what it is.  I didn’t until you made the connection.  I…am attracted by her very presence.”  Then his eyes fall as he takes in his little one, “But that may work in our favor.”

Thinking, he straightens up and looks at Sam. “Can you protect her?”

Sam straightens, “As a protector, I have a duty to do so.”

Godric nods, making a decision. “I am needed for an important meeting in Seattle.  Plus, it sounds like she has had a rough time of it tonight.  Can you take her home?   And when I am done with the meeting, I would like to call and talk with you.  I need to know what has happened and I wish to heal her.  I also need to know information like who is her guardian and does he know of our world?  I take it she already knows of ours.”

Sam shakes his slightly.  “When you decide something, you are all in aren’t you?”

 

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/sam-carrying-bella.jpg)

Smiling down at her, he leans down, picks her up, and deposits her in Sam’s arms, making sure his coat is secured around her. “I’m over 2,000 years old, Sam.  I think I know my own mind by now.”

Smiling back at Godric Sam tells him, “Her father is her guardian.  He can be trusted with our secret.  If you like, I will let him in on it.”

Godric nods.  He reaches in his suit jacket and pulls out two cards.  He takes one and using a pen he had pulled out, quickly writes something on the back of one of them. Putting the pen away, he hands the cards to Sam.  “One is for her.  The other is for you.  The numbers are my direct cell.  The name and number on the back is in case you need something urgently, and cannot get hold of me.  It is my Childe, Eric Northman.  On my way to the meeting I will call him and let him know what is going on.  He is short with people, but will know that she is important and will do what is needed for her.”

He frowns and pulls off a glove with one hand and glances at Sam. “I want to make sure she doesn’t get sick from this, I think with the state she is in now, it will not be good.”  And with that, his fangs drop and his tears into his exposed wrist.  He quickly cradles Bella’s head in his hand, coaxes her jaw open as his blood drips into her mouth.  Watching intently, after a few drops have made it in and she swallows, his eyes narrow and the wound on his wrist heals.  He negligently licks his wrist to clean it and puts his glove back on.

His hand reaches out to touch her gently on the cheek, pushing her hair away from it.  He continues in a softer voice, “Our Blood heals humans.  I also will now have a way to find her in case something happens.  Don’t worry about the jacket.  In fact, leave it with her.  She will find comfort in it.  Tell her father what you can, and if you give me your number, I will call you after my meeting.  Please don’t leave her until then if possible.”

Sam nods and quickly rattles off his number to the vampire.  Then glancing at his watch, Godric nods to the man in front of him, “I am trusting you with the most precious thing in my life.  Please watch over her.”  With a last longing glance at the girl who his life is going to revolve around, he leaps into the air.

Sam’s jaw drops as he watches the man leave.  Then glancing at Bella as she shivers, he tells her, “Well Bella, we sure are not in Kansas anymore.  Let’s get you home before his blood wears off.” And with that he lopes into the woods where he had placed the rest of his clothing.  It is going to be a long, dark night.

 

 

 

* * *

**Final count – 1,688 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**

**Reviews are appreciated!  
**

 


	2. Chapter 1 Gentle Implosions

# Gentle Implosions

**[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/normal_scary-forest-road-1440x900.jpg) **

**Pre Edit Count -   2,872 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Teardrop_ by Civil Twilight.

 

 

* * *

_Previous:_

_Sam nods and quickly rattles off his number to the vampire.  Then glancing at his watch, Godric nods to the man in front of him, “I am trusting you with the most precious thing in my life.  Please watch over her.”  With a last longing glance at the girl who his life is going to revolve around, he leaps into the air._

_Sam’s jaw drops as he watches the man leave.  Then glancing at Bella as she shivers, he tells her, “Well Bella, we sure are not in Kansas anymore.  Let’s get you home before his blood wears off.” And with that he lopes into the woods where he had placed the rest of his clothing.  It is going to be a long, dark night._

_Next:_

 

 

* * *

Godric is back in his car, heading down the dark road, his face lit only by the dashboard lights.  The night has no moon, no illumination to the road he is driving, the trees a blur as he tries to process what had just happened.  He had met his Mate, and had left her.   The wrench inside of him, as his beast tries to force him back to where it can protect her, is almost enough to make him turn the car around.  But his word to complete this task means a lot.  Plus, the faster he can get everything solved, the faster he can possibly return to his mate.

He knows this would be the best and safest route for right now.  He could not show up to this meeting with her being the way she is; nor does he really want to rip her from her life this close to the Revelation.  He could as it is allowed as a rare exception at this date, but he is choosing instead to heal her, and then woo her to his side.  He chuckles since she really has no choice; fate had decided that the two of them belong together.  He, for one, is looking forward to finding out why.  He is also looking forward to being with her.  He has been very lonely over the years.

He winces as he probes the light Bond he started with her.  He had not wanted to do it, but he is too worried about her getting sick and how that could affect her right now.  The less she has to fight through, the better.  But the emptiness,  self-hatred, abandonment, and worthlessness that he is feeling is painful to feel from his mate.  She has become the most important thing in his life and to feel as though no one wants her is not something he is enjoying.  He frowns as he realizes the bond is not diminishing as he pulls away from her.  He is hoping this is because of the Mate Bond.  While he has not initiated it, this may be one way to bring him back to her…as though he would turn from his one in a trillion chance.

Remembering his Childe, he pulls out his cell and calls him. He needs him and to be truthful, he has always needed him.  He just fooled himself into believing he didn’t.

 

 

* * *

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/eric-7.png)

In Fangtasia, Eric is at his desk, working on what will need to be done before the Revelation.  He and Pamela have planned to open the day after they come out of the coffin, as some of the younger vamps are calling it.  He grins as he chuckles at the joke.  He for one cannot wait until they no longer have to hide what they are.  He is looking forward to it, and to what he and Pam are thinking will be an “all you can eat” buffet.

Then his personal cell rings and, not bothering to see who it is, he answers it, “Northman.” With his luck it will be the child Queen he has to tolerate.

“Eric.”

A genuine smile breaks out on his face, “Godric.”  He is truly pleased to hear from his Maker.  He has been somewhat lost as Godric has withdrawn from him more and more.  Eric has no idea what he has done to make his Maker, his father, pull away like this.

“I am sorry for interrupting your evening, but something has happened.”

With these words Eric sits up. “Do you need me?” He hopes with all his being that Godric will need him.  He will drop everything if Godric needs him, with no regard to what punishments he may incur.

In the car Godric relaxes and actually opens his Bond with Eric.  He smiles and tells him, “No, my son.  It is a wondrous happenstance, but…” He waits for a second for the Bond to equalize between the two.  He is shocked at the love and…the need for absolution he is feeling from the Bond.  He mentally sighs as he realizes he has done more harm than good with the closing of the Bond.

Eric is amazed that Godric has opened his Bond with him again.  He knows Godric had planned to do it when the Revelation happened, but this is much more preferable.  He assures him, “I am here to listen, Master.” He is happy as he feels that void inside of him fill with his Maker.

Godric sighs as he feels Eric’s love and affection for him bloom even over a need for forgiveness that was completely unneeded. He will deal with that shortly, but for now he wants to tell of his news, and warn him.  “I met my Mate tonight.  I found her abandoned in the forest apparently by a Cold One.  I did not make the connection that she was my mate until I met a creature I have never met before, a new species of Supe.  One that is made to hunt the Cold Ones.  He asked if I had imprinted on Bella.  I then realized that I had managed to prevent myself from touching her or looking her in the eyes.” His brain is whirling as he relays the information to Eric in short bursts.

Eric sighs, feeling Godric’s confusion.  “But she is your Mate, there is no question of it?” Maybe he mistook the feeling for something else.  Godric has been lonely for a long time and it seems it had not gotten better as he closed himself off from his Childe.

Godric knows what Eric is thinking. “My son, my entire body is protesting every mile I am driving from her.  If it had not for a new species of wolves, well, this would be a worst predicament than it is already.  If someone calls you named Sam or, really, if anyone calls you for a Bella, take whatever measures are needed to protect her or to solve the problem.”

He assumes his mantle as the head of the Bloodline as though he has never allowed it to lapse these past years.  He did what he should have done centuries ago.

Eric nods, pleased his Master is naming him his second. “Of course, Godric.”  Then he hesitates before asking, “Are you not going to shut the Bond down again?” His fear of him doing exactly that overrides the Bond.

Godric smiles in the dark as he is driving.  “No, dear one.  I had not realized how much I enjoyed your feelings.  I just didn’t want you to feel my emotions over the past decade.  They have been…unpleasant for the most part.” His sorrow over closing the Bond and what he has suffered from these past years overshadows even Eric’s fear and Bella’s feelings.  Then he pulls it all back, remembering his Mate.

Sighing, Eric runs his hand through his hair. “Godric, I am here for you, and I can help you.  Please allow me to support you as you have done for me for so many years.” He is not pleading, but close to it.  He cannot lose his Maker!  He is hoping beyond hope that Godric is right, that he found his Mate – that rare being every vampire hopes to find in their lifetime.

Godric frowns as he examines the Bond.  What he is finding is not making him happy.  “Eric…”

Closing his eyes, Eric admits, “Being shut away from you, hurts.  We have spent so many years with the Bond open.  I find myself with a shorter temper.”  He can feel Godric searching the Bond.  He is also feeling…an echo?

Thinking on this, Godric tells him, “And I had been finding myself spiraling into the darkness.  If it hadn’t been for me finding Bella, I am not sure what would have happened.” He is blunt, admitting he needs his son more than he thought.

“And that is why we are not going to do this again, right Master?” Eric states with a smirk, though the remark is not without his wistful thoughts.

Snorting into the phone, Godric tells him, “Eric, I think I am the Maker here.”

Eric grins, loving the mirth and affection he is getting through the Bond.  But then he hesitantly asks, “Did you already Bond with her?”  Is that where the strange echo is coming from?  Is he going to feel her also?

Godric takes a deep breath.  “I found her out in the woods and it had just started to rain, and even though I got there before she was soaked and covered her with my coat, she was already shaking.  She is basically comatose.  I have no idea what has happened, but will be finding out as soon as this damned meeting is concluded.” He can still feel her as though she is sitting in the seat next to him, and while in a way he rejoiced that he will never be alone again, he was also upset because the negative feelings are seeming to get worse.

Eric turns to his computer and starts to click away.  “What information do you have on her already?” He will make sure they know everything about Godric’s mate.  They need to discover why she was out in the woods alone and lost and in such a state.  He knows Godric and knows that no matter what his Maker thinks now, he will be back at her side as soon as he can.

Godric smiles.  He knew he could trust his child.  “I know her name is Bella and I believe the closest town to where I found her is Forks, Washington per my GPS.  Her guardian is her father and he is tied in with the local reservation; the chief is godfather to Bella.  Other than that, the person I left her with didn’t have much time to talk.  I needed to get out of there before I gave into my need to touch her, and her father had a search party out for her.” He shakes his head.  The need to touch is still strong and he is not sure how he will keep from touching her until he heals her and she has come to his side voluntarily.

Eric nods thoughtfully into the phone.  He asks as he is inputting the search parameters, “I am guessing the ghost of emotions are all from her.”  He is quiet, for if this is true, then his Maker is going to have a hard time in front of him.  Eric has never felt anything like this before, and if it were his own Mate, he would be upset and raging that she feels this way.

Godric closes his eyes as he again feels the emotions rolling off of her. “Yes.”

Nodding to himself, Eric looks at the information in front of him. “Are you ready?” He has a tight rein on his emotions so that, in case it bleeds the other way, he won’t affect her any more than Godric is.  He suspects that Godric just gave her his blood, but there is always that chance that for some reason Godric took hers to make the first part of a Blood Bond.

Godric sits up straighter, “There is information on her?” This is not good…

“Actually a lot.  Someone up there is keeping an eye on that tribe and anyone associated with it.  If I were you, I would make a claim on her while you are talking with the King.  I can enter the paperwork into the system as your progeny.”  Eric is already getting ready to pull up the forms and such.  He is not happy with the amount of information that is available to him, though it will help his Maker.  Someone is a little too interested in Isabella Swan.

Godric thinks through everything and he tells him, “I agree.  Now tell me what there is on her.  From there I can see what I need to do.” There is no way he won’t have his Mate.  If need be, he would take the world down to ruins to have her.

Eric clicks through the forms and sends them to the Authority.  He is taking no chances with his Master’s Mate.  He will do whatever is needed to make sure that no one will interfere.  He of all the beings out there knows how bad it could be if someone tried to take Godric’s mate away.  He maybe civilized, but the beast that he had thought was Death is never too far from the surface.

He clicks back into the information and informs him as he reads, “For some reason they are keeping an eye on the reservation since there are rumors of wolves being sighted. But unlike normal wolves, they are larger than normal.  So the packs and any vampire in the area watches for them and anyone connected.  However it looks like the Swans are more connected to the reservation than just the current chief and police chief.  But the first thing I know you want to know is that your mate’s name is Isabella Marie Swan and she is 18, just turned so a couple of days ago.  She prefers to be called Bella.  She was born to a Renee and Charlie Swan in Forks, but her parents divorced and her mother took her.”  Then a growl comes from Eric.  If this is true, oh they are going to have to work with her.   Unbeknownst to him, this is the beginning of his relationship with Bella and how he feels about her.

Godric can feel the anger and asks, “Eric?”

Reading through the rest of the information, Eric shakes his head.  He is sure that this is not normal even coming from him.  “Godric, it looks like your mate is a very responsible person.  Her mother, however, is a ditz at best.  A true bloodbag by Pam’s definition, barely worth anything more than the blood in her veins.   Bella has worked since she was 11, at least from what whoever put this information together has been able to determine, but she has been cooking and taking care of her mother at least from the age of 5 and there is suspicion that she has worked since 7, but no proof.  Her mother missed her calling as a flower child of the 60′s.  Any and all hobbies have been taken up and discarded in weeks  She has dragged your mate through each and every one of them.  It has been noted in the file that there has been no trace of her really having any friends because of all the moving around, nor were there any romantic relationships during this time.”  Eric can’t believe it – this is absurd!  A child working at 7?  Not even his culture would allow something like that!  That is just too young!

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, “She moved in with her father this past year.  Her mother had remarried and the most anyone has found is that the new stepfather is a minor league baseball player.  It seems the new Mrs. Dwyer wanted to travel with her husband so her daughter left so she could do that.”  The last is said with Eric’s known dryness.  He is just incredulous that this could be right.

Godric cursed. “So she has never had a true childhood and had to take care of herself and her mother her entire life.”  He can foresee some issues that could come from this.  He hopes that he is not too late and can encourage his mate allow him to take care of her.  His nature literally demands it of him.

“Yes, and it doesn’t end there.  Her father is the police chief of Forks, and from what has been mentioned, Bella moved in and, since the man can neither cook nor clean, she has taken over all the household duties. He does nothing but acknowledge her being in the house.  And her father, while giving every impression of loving her deeply by all accounts, has no idea what to do with her or how to show her that he appreciates her.  So he lets her do as she wishes, mentioning in the hearing of one of the people who put this together that he knows that Bella is the one who did everything in Renee’s custody. He mentioned that he didn’t want to take that away from her.” A growl sounds from both at that, but Eric continues,  “And the only other thing noted is that she became involved with a coven of Cold Ones, had run away to Phoenix and managed to break her leg falling down stairs.  It is noted she is clumsy, but not that clumsy.”  Eric is upset and trying very hard not to let that anger affect his Master.

Godric suddenly growls and he spits out the words that have haunted him, “Whoever she was dating that was a Cold One…  He left her.  In the woods.  By herself.    Eric, I need to find out whatever we can on the Cold Ones.  I think this is going to be an uphill battle.” She has been abandoned by everyone in her life already.  Her father is a fool; no child wants to be that independent!  Bella would have probably been overjoyed to give over some of the responsibility and be able to depend on someone else for a change.

Nodding to himself as he sends some emails and starts working the networks available to him and his Maker, Eric replies, “I will find out what I can about this particular group.  Also, as I read more into these files, it seems as though her aunt married into the tribe.”  He stops and asks, “Godric, what are your plans?” He needs to know what will be needed of him.  No King, no Queen, nor any one in authority can interfere if the Maker or Head of the Bloodline calls for their progeny.   Godric happens to embody both positions.  Regardless, he would still go without hesitation to help his Maker.

Godric is in Seattle and is working his way through the city to the meeting place. “I am going to call some other sources and see what other information I can get on her.  Then I will be working to woo my mate as I heal her.  I am going to be up front and straight with her, since we know the Cold Ones are secretive.  One benefit is that I can feel her as though I am in the room with her, and that is from just a couple drops of blood.” He is making plans in his head, what he can do and will do.  He just needs as much information as he can get on her.

Eric hesitates and then asks, “Nora?”  He is dreading bringing her into his life in any way again.  He also hates the way she can bring down Godric.  He will owe Godric until the end of time for not allowing him to turn her.  They have a love/hate relationship.

After pausing at the name of his other child, Godric replies, “I hate to say it, but no.  Eric, I am getting the feeling that something is going on with her, something that she knows neither of us will be pleased to discover.  Be careful with your dealings with her.  Right now, my concentration will need to be on Bella, and I am only trusting you with her.”  He knows Eric’s true feelings on Nora, and he mirrors them.  But he always gives her a chance.  He gave one to Eric and look where that has lead.

Eric blinks and tells him, “I am truly honored.  I will get on the tasks you have asked of me.  If there is anything else, please don’t hesitate to ask me, Master.”  The trust in that one statement humbles him like nothing else will.

Godric smiles.  “I am happy to hear that, Eric. You are my true son.  You know this, and I know this.  There is no one I will trust with my Mo anam cara ( _My soul mate_ ) as much as I trust you.  For all intents and purposes, I am naming you my official second.  After everything has settled from the Revelation and hopefully Bella is in my keeping, we will discuss this more at that time.” Eric deserves this and has in truth been doing the duties of a second, but never getting the bonuses of it.  It is well past time.

Eric is speechless.  Godric is basically naming him second in command only to him, and of their bloodline.  He is also declaring that Eric acts on his behalf.  This statement, coming from his Maker, can null and void any loyalty sworn to any King or Queen.  Godric, with his age, commands his own respect and rules over Area 9 which shares borders with his own Area.  At any time, Godric can decide that he can leave, and can pull Eric and Pamela along with any other progeny or those sworn to Godric and take them to his place of choosing.  Or he can decide to rule himself, and the world is open for him to pick a place.  If this is done, Eric will be only second to his Mate.

Godric chuckles, “Eric, you can’t be that shocked, can you?  You have been acting as my second for centuries.  I am only acknowledging what is in truth an actuality.  But for now, gather the information as I have requested.  Once I have spoken with the man who is taking care of Bella right now, then we will discuss the next steps.” He parks his car and readies himself to get this onerous duty over with.  His mind is focusing more on his Mate, and what needs to be done to make her happy, and his son, for whom he has great affection.

Eric smirks.  “I look forward to it.”  It will be interesting for Godric to have a mate.  Too many people still underestimate him because of his boyish looks.  Under those looks is a man who grew up in a violent time in one of the most violent villages, earning their mark in history in Julius Caesar’s records.

With that the two vampires disconnect the call with Godric going into a meeting he couldn’t really care less about at this time, and Eric completing the request of his Maker.  Both ready for their worlds to change for the better.

 

 

* * *

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/sam-carrying-bella.jpg)

Sam stumbles out of the Forest, making it look like he is exhausted for the humans gathered around Charlie.  Billy looks up from planning the search, sees him, and tugs at Charlie’s shirt.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/charlie-carrying-bella-1.jpg)

Charlie looks up and, seeing his daughter in Sam’s arms, runs to her and takes her from him.  He barely notices the black jacket she is wrapped in, only relieved that she is ok.  Not noticing that Sam is following him, he thanks everyone, and hurries into the house with the doctor following them.  This is one of the few times there is no mistaking Charlie’s love for his daughter.

Before entering the house, Billy grabs Sam to stop him. “What happened?” He is studying the young man who he has taken under his wing.

Sam looks in the house, watching the proceedings.  He tells Billy, “There is more to this world than we thought.  There are other vampires, but I felt none of the need to kill.  I actually felt…a bond with him, one of friendship.”  He looks down at Billy and continues, “They are closer to us than the Cold Ones, they even imprint like us.  And the one who found her, who protected her, gave her his coat to protect her from the elements, gave of himself to ensure her health, is her mate.”  He is calm, but he won’t allow anyone to interfere with Godric and Bella.  Mating is sacred, the man in front of him told him this, but Sam is sure he won’t think the same now.

Billy lets go of him in shock.  “Bella is mated to a bloodsucker?”

Sam nods, looking back in the room. “Billy, you need to meet him.  He is nothing like a Cold One.  He hates them, and not just for what he thinks they have done to his mate.  He looks like you and I, and in fact has hazel eyes.  And he is over 2,000 years old.” The last is said with awe.  He cannot imagine living that long, and seeing the pain in the young vampire’s face, he is sure he doesn’t want to.

Billy’s mind is whirling with this new information.  There is no doubt that what Sam said is true for Sam has no reason to lie to him, nor any inclination to do so.  That there is an ancient being who calls himself a vampire, who Sam has no inclination to attack, and who has imprinted on their Bella, makes him take a step back.  “Yes, we will need to meet with this vampire.  But Sam, do you trust him with one of ours?” He stares at Sam.  He had always harbored a  secret wish that Bella would be his son  Jacob’s mate, or at least mate with one of the other wolves in the pack.

Sam looks back into Billy’s eyes.  “Completely.  He is as dedicated to her as any of us would be to our imprints.  But he has made the decision to help her heal, and then woo her.  He is right now at a meeting that he could not get out of, but as soon as he is done he will be calling to speak with me and Charlie.  I suspect he will not mind speaking with you either.  He will be telling both Charlie and me about his race, and I have agreed to protect her, and to tell Charlie about us.” His eyes go back to the house, not wanting Bella too far out of his reach.  This ancient being trusted him with her, and he doesn’t want to betray that trust.

Billy looks away, working through all this.  He finally sighs.  “I have wanted Charlie to be told since he helped with the search for you.  I know the man will keep the secret as has his daughter.  But yes, I would like to be there.  This sounds like our world will be changing yet again.  But this time I will have my Best Friend helping us.”

Sam nods and the two head into the house, intending to make the world a bigger place for the man inside who loves his daughter.

 

 

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**Final count – 4,451 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	3. Hush Now, Don’t You Cry

# Hush Now, Don’t You Cry

**[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/long-dark-road.jpg) **

**Pre Edit Count -   1,560 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Silent Lucidity_ by Queensryche.

 

 

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_Previous:_

_Sam looks back into Billy’s eyes.  “Completely.  He is as dedicated to her as any of us would be to our imprints.  But he has made the decision to help her heal, and then woo her.  He is right now at a meeting that he could not get out of, but as soon as he is done he will be calling to speak with me and Charlie.  I suspect he will not mind speaking with you either.  He will be telling both Charlie and me about his race, and I have agreed to protect her, and to tell Charlie about us.”_

_Billy looks away, working through all this.  He finally sighs.  “I have wanted Charlie to be told since he helped with the search for you.  I know the man will keep the secret as has his daughter.  But yes, I would like to be there.  This sounds like our world will be changing yet again.  But this time I will have my Best Friend helping us.”_

_Sam nods and the two head into the house, intending to make the world a bigger place for the man inside who loves his daughter._

_Now:_

 

 

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[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/charlie-bringing-bella-in.jpg)

Sam walks in and holds the door for Billy to make his way through the door behind him.   They hear Dr. Gerandy telling Charlie, “I don’t understand it, considering how long we think she has been out there in the rain and cold, but she is fine.  Just get her in some warm clothing and put her to bed.  It looks like she is reacting to shock but as long as she keeps warm, she should be ok.” With that the good Dr leaves after staring at the tall Native standing there watching him.  He gives him a wide berth as he leaves, making Sam smirk.

Charlie nods as he watches his daughter on the couch before him, still wrapped in the black coat that she had been wearing when Sam had brought her out.  He is bewildered about what to do for her.  She has been so self sufficient that he had not needed to change anything he did when she moved out.  He had been relieved since he had been nervous about raising a teenager who had raised herself.  Now looking at her, he didn’t know what to do.

Noticing Charlie’s look of helplessness as well knowing that he would be uncomfortable with undressing and redressing his daughter, Sam reaches down and grabs his cellphone and removes it from the baggy he kept it in for waterproofing.  He calls Emily, knowing she is not far away, and asks her to come down and take care of Bella while he and Bill speak with Charlie.  She agrees and they hung up.

Finally looking up from the daughter that he is realizing he didn’t know and not liking the epiphany at all, Charlie nods at them, “Well, um… thanks Sam for finding her.”

Billy rolls forward and, taking the afghan from the couch, covers Bella up as he tells Charlie, “Charlie, we need to talk.  Sam has Emily coming to help get Bella ready for bed.  You might want to get some alcohol; this is not going to be easy.” He needed the alcohol and he has known about his side of the supernatural world all his life, he knows Charlie will need a drink for the shock that was coming as they turned his world upside down.

Looking at them both, Charlie frowns. “I don’t think this is the time, Billy.” How is he going to handle Bella if she doesn’t come out of it?  Call Renee?  He really didn’t want to do that and admit how much of a failure he is when it came to Bella.  The thought of Renee’s voice berating him makes him cringe.

Sam moves forward and looking into Charlie’s eyes he tells him, “This may not be the best time, but it needs to be done to save your daughter.  Don’t you agree that makes it the best time?” He is dead serious. He knows how it is to imprint.  He lost the girl he had loved most of his life.  Emily is perfect for him and the pack, but he misses Leah everyday and feels guilty for the pain she is going through.  He can see in Bella that same pain as Leah, but she has a chance at her happiness.  He has no doubt that Godric will be everything she needs.  And if he had to help take Bella away, he will in a heartbeat.

This makes Charlie rock back on his heels. He frowns and comments, “What?” This time he truly looks at the two men since they first arrived.

At this time there is a quiet knock on the door, and Emily comes in.  She smiles at the group, and when Sam indicates Bella, she gently picks the girl up and heads upstairs to change her and put her to bed.  She trusts that Sam will fill her in on the comatose girl later.  Being an RN has its uses though and she will use her skills to make sure Bella doesn’t take a turn for the worse.  She is shocked she isn’t at running a fever…

Charlie is watching Emily take Bella up the stairs.  While he does that, Billy expertly wheels himself into the kitchen and helps himself to Charlie’s liquor cabinet.  He brings back Jack Daniels and glasses for the two of them, knowing Sam doesn’t drink since it took copious amounts of alcohol for him to even get a minor buzz.

Sam gently pushes Charlie down into a chair.  He runs his hand through his hair as he searches for a place to begin changing this man’s perception of the world he truly lives in, not the polite one he has believed for his entire life.  It’s one that Sam is still getting used to and he, himself, was introduced to an even broader one this very night.

Billy hands Charlie a tumbler of whiskey.  He sighs and asks Charlie, “Do you remember the stories of our tribe, Charlie?” If he did, this would go much easier.  As easy as finding out your nightmares are real can be, that is.

Charlie’s eyes narrow as his memory goes back over the stories he had listened to as a child growing up on the reservation.  He shakes his head, as the pieces come together…

Sam nods to Billy in thanks.  He moves in front of Charlie, crouching down, looking him in the eyes and tells him, “They are all true.  The Cullens returned and I am the first in the pack.” He waits for Charlie to process this before they start on anymore.

Charlie stares at the man in front of him for a couple of minutes, then his eyes flash upwards to where Bella is.  He trembles as he asks, “Vampires?  My daughter dated a vampire?” How did he miss all the signs?  He was taught them in the past, and yet made excuses for them and the way they are! He defended them to Billy, and now that they’re gone he is finding out they were dangerous?

Sam gently corrects him, “Cold Ones.” If Charlie is going to be part of this world, he might as well use the right names.  He can imagine his coming shock as he himself was shocked.

Charlie gives him a look of disbelief and tells him, “Call it what it is, vampire.” What else drinks blood?  A vampire is a vampire.

Billy coughs into his hand pulling Charlie’s attention to him.  He then tells Charlie, “And up until tonight, Sam would have agreed with you.  After all that is what our legends imply.  But now, you need to call them what they have been named, Cold Ones. Yes, they drink blood, but our legends say they are poisonous and have no fangs. Get it straight in your head, because the rest of the information is going to throw you for a loop.”  With that he nods back to Sam. Since he has met both groups, he can tell this better.

Sighing again Sam looks away in the air, gathering his thoughts.  When he has it straight in his head, he informs Charlie, “Since I transformed, I have thought of myself as a werewolf.  I was corrected on that tonight.  By a real honest to goodness vampire, a young man, who says he is over 2,000 years ago.  He had fangs and could fly.  And Charlie, you could feel and see the years in his eyes, in the very air around him.  Nothing like Carlisle who is the oldest of his bunch.” Thinking back to his meeting with Godric, his voice holds the awe he felt in realizing the person in front of him may be older than his tribe.

He chuckles wryly. “He also smells nothing like the Cold Ones, and hates them as much as I do.  If I could call age a smell then that is what he smells of.  Along with his personal scent of the wild forests, fire and iron.  More importantly, his scent did not make me feel like attacking him, even though he was crouched over Bella protecting her from me.”

Charlie’s eyebrows went up, “Protecting Bella?  Why would he be protecting Bella?  Does he know her?” How did she meet him and why in the world does it seem his daughter is well known in this new world?

Sam smiles, trying to calm Charlie.  “When I came upon him as my wolf, I could see the pure look of wonder on his face.  It didn’t click until I was human and watching him with her.  He didn’t know what I was, and when I shifted from wolf, he told me there was no way I am a werewolf, for I am too big and I don’t smell as one.  He also shares a trait with us.” He shakes his head as he realizes this maybe the hardest part of tonight, the part he thinks Charlie will be most upset about.  He has his own thoughts if Charlie should be upset.

Charlie lifts an eyebrow and dryly comments, “Why do I have a feeling I may not like this trait?”

He couldn’t help it, but Billy laughs, a dry chuckle at himself for trusting Sam so much that he is about to battle for Bella to be with an undead.  “I won’t lie, I am not thrilled about it.  But as I thought about it, I realized that other than being imprinted on by one of our own wolves, there could be nothing better.  What do you remember of the tales of imprinting, Charlie?” He challenges him to remember, to recall why this is a happy thing…why Billy isn’t throwing a fit like he had when Bella and Edward were dating.

Sam looks on with disbelief.  He knows the Swans are considered tribe members in their books, but he is surprised at the level of information that Charlie had already been exposed to.

Seeing his surprise and guessing why, Billy tells Sam, “He was raised mostly by his aunt and uncle.  He was and still is considered a member of the tribe to this day.  You have seen the books, and know that we insisted that the Swans were members when Carlisle came for the meeting on the treaty.  So he was told all the stories, even the ones that were pulled later when the Cullens came back.” Not said was how Billy was the Chief’s son, so he was told.  Why was Charlie told too?

On the other hand, Charlie is thinking.  He looks up into the eyes of Sam and starts out evenly, “Are you telling me that some 2,000 year old vampire imprinted on my daughter,”  his voice rising to a shout.

Not batting an eyelash, Sam tells him, “Yes.  And what do you remember about the traits of an imprint?”

Charlie blinks at him.

Taking the reins of the conversation again, Billy clarifies, “The wolf’s, or vampire in this case, entire life now revolves around its imprint.  They think of nothing but her, she holds them to the earth and they will do anything to protect her.  They will provide for her and basically treat her like a princess.  They will be anything and everything she needs.  They will never leave, cheat or be anything other than the perfect mate to them.  And, truly, what can any man ask for in the man who will marry his daughter?” He tells him truthfully, the thing he would have said if it had been Jacob as he wished, or any of the wolves.

Charlie gets up and starts to pace.    He mutters his thoughts out loud. “I would prefer not to have a man who is older than Christ as my Baby’s husband.  And she is too young for him. And the wrong species.  Why can’t she meet an ordinary hot blooded boy and be normal?”

Billy can’t help himself and opens his mouth to answer when someone knocks on the door.

Charlie stomps over to the door and opens it, about to give the visitor a piece of his mind for knocking on his door at 3am.

But he stops, and instantly understands what Sam said about the pure weight of age surrounding the vampire.   He is shocked looking at the young man in front of him dressed in a shirt and tie, obviously having just removed the suit jacket that was hanging on his arm, and staring back at him.

Godric cocks his head to the side as he studies the man in front of him.  He states with a firm voice, “I take it you are Charles Swan.  My name is Godric.  May I please come in so we can talk?”

 

 

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**Final count – 2,113 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	4. Be My Baby

 

# Be My Baby

 

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/darkroad.jpg)

**Pre Edit Count -   3,335 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Look After You_ by The Fray.

 

 

 

* * *

_Previous:_

_Billy can’t help himself and opens his mouth to answer when someone knocks on the door._

_Charlie stomps over to the door and opens it, about to give the visitor a piece of his mind for knocking on his door at 3am._

_But he stops, and instantly understands what Sam said about the pure weight of age surrounding the vampire.   He is shocked looking at the young man in front of him dressed in a shirt and tie, obviously having just removed the suit jacket that was hanging on his arm, and staring back at him._

_Godric cocks his head to the side as he studies the man in front of him.  He states with a firm voice, “I take it you are Charles Swan.  My name is Godric.  May I please come in so we can talk?”_

_Now:_

 

 

 

* * *

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/allan-hyde-17.jpg)

Charlie is blown away by the vampire in front of him.  There is no doubt in his mind on this,  yet at the same time his eyes are telling him that this is a man who is either just out of high school or in college at the latest.  His demeanor, though,  is of one who has lead armies, who is confident in himself.

Godric is studying the man who is the father of his anam cara ( _soul mate_ ).  He is still slightly angry from the confrontation he has just come from, upset because Bella is worse if anything, and determined that no one will come in between the two of them.  He is also mindful of Eric’s information and that while there is no question of the man’s love for his daughter, he neglected to allow Bella to have a childhood and instead basically made her chamberlain to his household.  If any cooking of cleaning or purchasing of household supplies was done, it was done by her.  The only thing he does is pay the bills.

If Godric needed to hire a maid or anything else, he will.  This needs to stop and she needs to learn how to be a child.  Even he was a child at one point.

Charlie finally swallows and stands to the side, “Please come in Godric.”

Godric nods his head and comes inside, removing his gloves and laying them and his jacket on the chair nearest him.  His eyes constantly rove around, not only taking in his mate’s home, but also noting all the exit points and any other vulnerabilities.  He also notes the placement of Sam and the man in the wheel chair.  He looks up as he registers not only his mates smell and heartbeat, but someone else’s.

Sam noting Godric’s quick perusal as well as the beginning of a growl coming from him, guesses the reason why and tells him, “My mate is up with Bella helping her change.”

Godric’s head turns to him and he states, “She has not come out of the state from earlier?” His blue green eyes are penetrating and Charlie notes that what Sam said is true;  you can see the years hanging on the young man.

A shake of Sam’s head answers the question.

Godric sighs and looks up where she is.  He will need to find out more about the Cold Ones and about Bella’s general wellbeing.  Right now, she is so doused in self-hatred and rejection that he is having problems not heading to her and trying to waylay the feelings.  But he knows that will not help.  Right now he needs to secure her father and see what needs to be done.

With this in mind, he turns his full attention to Charlie.  Godric studies him, trying to decide if there really is anything to keep his mate here other than, if he is reading the situation correctly, her misguided guilt.  He feels Eric pushing some comfort and love through the bond, and his lips lift in a small smile.

Charlie studies the young man in front of him and finds him full of contradictions.  He finally asks, “Do you have a last name, Godric?” He is trying to regain control of a situation the young man who just walked in had already taken over, not understanding that he had never had any control in the first place.

Sam snorts, realizing what Charlie is trying to do and the stupidity of it.

Godric cracks a small grin.  “I currently use Nervii, which was what my tribe was called.  It is what I would have been called in a meeting of the tribes as I was the chieftain.” He is staring at the man in front of him, accessing him in every way.

 

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/charlie-10.jpg)

Charlie had moved in front of his chair, but as he takes in what Godric is saying he sinks down into the chair.  “You mean, you really are 2,000 years old?” His minds just stops.  He cannot even try to recognize the years that the being in front of him has lived.

With a smirk at the reaction, Godric tells him, “Older actually.  As you may have guessed, we didn’t adhere the Roman calendar system in my tribe.  So I can’t tell you when I was born, nor when I was turned.  I only started to mark time later and have come to find out that I am older, much older, than your Christ when he was born, much less than when he died, which is when the current time started being kept.”

Billy looks from Sam to Godric.  He finally says, “Is it true that Sam is not what is considered a real werewolf?” He is curious about it, but he is wrapping his mind around it, and that not all vampires are the same.  There is more humanity in this vampire before him than some humans he has met.

Godric turns his head just enough to meet the man’s eyes.  He asks, “I take it you are Chief Black?”  At the man’s nod, Godric continues, “Yes.  He is the size of a small horse, while werewolves are the same size of normal wolves.  Nor does he stink as one of them does.  He smells of earth, of the loam.”

Charlie asks, “And who are you to determine who is or isn’t a werewolf?” His tone is acidic and, unbeknownst to him, he is solidifying his daughters future with his attitude.

Chuckling, Godric tells him, “If you don’t mind, I would like to call my Childe and have him on speaker.  It will save on recounting this conversation.” And allow Eric to judge the man on his own merits.  It wouldn’t be long until Charlie will find out how a Viking can be.

Charlie glances upstairs and asks, “Childe?” Did this vampire have a child?  And is he expecting Bella to have his children?

Godric is already calling Eric and has him on speaker phone as he answers with his normal, “Northman.”

Godric deposit the phone closest to Charlie and Billy, since they are the two humans in the room. “Eric, I got the resolution that we were looking for, and because of the emotions that we have been feeling, have made my way to the Swan residence.  Chief Swan and Chief Black are both present along with Sam.” He cannot help the small smile he has in anticipation of Charlie’s reaction.  Sadly though, he knows this type of anger towards his kind will be showing up when they come out in the Revelation.

Charlie cannot help himself, “He doesn’t sound like no child.” He is angry.  Here is a child who is basically here to take his daughter out of his house.  One way or another, it comes to that.  Godric will remove Bella from his house and take her with him to wherever he lives.  Who will he have then?  Plus, with Bella gone he will lose face in Forks.  People will think that his own daughter left him as soon as possible, and this is not something he needs during an election year.  He has enough worries as it is with so many deaths, and he is still trying to minimize the damage from Bella’s flight earlier this year.

 

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/eric-9.jpg)

Eric’s rich baritone rings out as he laughs. “Chief Swan. I am considered Godric’s childe because he is the one who turned me.  I am over 1,000 years old, and was in no way considered a childe on my death.”

Charlie lets out a breath and shakes his head.  “What have you gotten involved with, Bella?” he mutters under his breath, not understanding that everyone but Billy still heard him.

Not willing to let Bella take blame for something she has no control over, Eric answers him, “With a world she was already in danger from knowing what she already knows.  But at the same time, she has someone who will lay down his very life to defend her, to care for her.  As one who has benefited from that same care for over a thousand years, I can swear that your daughter is in the very best hands.  Godric is considered one of the most honorable and respected Vampires in the supernatural world.  He could be King at any time if he wished,  or even be head of the Vampires and the representative for us in the Council.” There is a clear pride in Eric’s voice as he talks about his Maker, his Fader.

Godric shakes his head as his son boasts of him.  “Eric.” There is a gentle rebuke, but none of the men in the room or on the phone can sense anything but how proud Godric is of Eric.

With that, Eric falls quiet.  Godric turns his head back to Charlie.  “In answer to your question, there is more than Werewolves and Vampires in the world.  There is a whole world of supernaturals that exists.  If there is a tale, there is probably truth behind it.  Sam is a new species in our world.  Hopefully he and his will be better than the Cold Ones.” He shakes his head as he thinks the messes that his kind and the rest of the Supernatural world has had to clean up after the Cold Ones.

Sam is watching Charlie.  Charlie is looking shocked but he is asking sharp questions, ones he didn’t think of.  Sam also is letting him dig his own hole, knowing as he does from Emily the rumors in town.  He has always been tolerant of Charlie, but what he has heard both from his mate and now is making him think that it would be better if Godric just took Bella.

Charlie thinks and he asks, “What is this imprint thing that Sam was talking about?” Maybe he should keep Bella here with him.  This vampire in front of him could possibly wait to take her.  Wouldn’t she be better off around familiar surroundings and such?

Godric sighs and looks upstairs where Bella is, feeling through the bond how she is doing. He absentmindedly informs Charlie, “Mating in our kind is rare.  You would think with as long lived as we are, that there would be more, but the chances of meeting your soul mate, the other half of you, in a world with over a billion people in it now, much less all the people in times past, is very rare.  I only know rumors of it from my Maker.  But being who she is, she would have known that at some point I would need the information.” He muses over the revelation, trying to decide if she had been hinting at his future.  He had always thought it was Eric she was hinting about, but maybe it was him?

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he looks at Charlie as he explains. “Bella is that one in a trillion chance for me.  There is nothing I won’t do for her.  If something happens to her, even though I have avoided touching her or seeing her eyes to create the mating bond, I will probably greet the sun.  I was on my way to doing so until tonight.  However, because of her, I now have the will, the need, to live.  I have reopened my Bond with Eric, and have already taken steps to prepare for her in my life.” He cannot help his look of pride knowing that he will be able to keep his mate in a way that few could hope.  Although, if she is his mate, then she probably will enjoy his simple homes and the same pleasures he himself does.  He will be looking forward to getting to know her to answer that question himself.

Eric’s quiet gasp is enough to tell Charlie that greeting the sun is something serious.  He frowns, his daughter is going to be mated to a suicide risk?

Godric sends reassurance to Eric, knowing that he has only stated the truth.  He was getting lost in his depression and while the Bond to Eric had been the last thing that had kept him afloat, he had slowly closed his side of the Bond in an effort to save his son from feeling the painful spiral into darkness.   This selfless act only served to push him further into his depression.

Now with Bella and the reopening of the Bond, Godric feels… rejuvenated.  But if he ever lost Bella, that would tip him back into that void with no hope of recovering, nor any wish too, beyond not wanting to cause  his son pain.

He looks into Charlie’s eyes and reveals to him. “I don’t know if Sam told you, but I gave Bella my blood tonight in hopes that it would heal her enough that she will not suffer physically from the exposure to the elements.  This also formed a bond in that I can locate her and feel her feelings.  Normally this would be a very light bond, even with the couple of drops and the age of my blood.  Instead, I felt her all the way to Seattle as though she was right beside me.  Even more telling, Eric can feel echoes of her in our own Bond.  She is feeling rejected and she loathes  herself.  Her self-esteem is very low.  She is at the very least depressed, if not on the verge of suicidal.  I would be worried but she honestly cannot bring herself to care enough to cause herself harm.  If she did, nothing would stop me from initiating the Bond with her.  I cannot take that risk.  But right now, what we need to worry about is making sure that she eats and moves…that she lives.”

The shock on Charlie’s, Billy’s and Sam’s face is the same as the shock he is feeling from Eric, as well as recognition.  It is more a realization of what he is feeling from her than anything else.

Godric informs them, “Eric has already started researching the Cold Ones to see if this reaction is being caused by them somehow.  Some of it I can understand.  The history we have found on her shows that this was her first relationship, and the low self-esteem is because of her nonexistent childhood.  But that same self-reliance and the need she feels to take care of people should have her worried about you.  Instead we have someone who is basically shutting down.  This has brought me from Seattle instead of our agreed upon meeting by phone.  I needed to make sure everyone here understands the importance of Bella to me and my Bloodline, and to also look around and see what evidence I can gather from the Cold One’s residence.” His face is no longer giving anything away as he is waiting to see how her father will react to this news.

Eric’s voice came from the phone, “While Godric is doing all that, we have many people working on finding out what we can about Bella’s mental state of being.  Nothing is more important to our Bloodline nor those who owe us fealty at this point.  As you heard, Godric’s actual well-being is in her hands, and I for one am looking forward to meeting her.  But first, we need to heal her.”

Charlie just shakes his head. “I don’t really understand it, but I am not going to say no to anything that will heal her.  But…I really don’t understand this.  What is the difference between you and the Cold Ones?” Information is good, information will allow him to not make a mistake…

Eric answers this one since he is currently researching that very question. “For one, there are more rules for us than for their kind.  We cannot be exposed to the sun, or we burn.  We also die for the day when the sun rises.  Both Godric and I, because of our ages, can stay up later and wake earlier, but we still have to die or suffer the bleeds.  We can be killed by a wooden stake or decapitation.  Silver harms us and if enough is used, we will die.  We heal from anything else, even loss of limbs. We need to be invited into homes, and can be uninvited.  We have fangs, and actual blood in our bodies.  We can feed without killing humans.  We can also glamour most species into doing what we wish or, more importantly for our secret, erase information.  There is history going back as far as before mankind existed that we have been around.”

Charlie and the rest looked shocked that Eric just told them how to kill them, in detail. Unbeknownst to them, they will never be in a position to use this information if Eric and Godric have anything to say about it.  It is why they have spent so much money for specialized coffins and so on.  Neither of them have lived this long without taking into consideration all manner of safeguards.  Plus Eric is not telling them anything the general public won’t learn from the Revelation itself.

Bringing up the spreadsheet he is using to detail the information he is finding out on the Cold Ones, Eric continues. “The Cold Ones have venom for blood and either they kill their food, or their venom spreads and turns the victim into one of them.  This venom is highly flammable, but their very bodies harden into a marble-like toughness.  This venom enhances their human traits.  Beauty is always there, but anything from a markedly compassionate nature to latent psychic powers is enhanced to a high level.  The only way to kill them is by fire.  Anything lost to fire will never be replaced, but the thing is to be able to get to that level.  Tearing them apart does nothing but temporarily stall them.  The very pieces will move to rejoin the host.  Not even decapitating them kills them without fire.”

Charlie is shocked and he looks to Sam, “And you can kill them?” His amazement in the being next to him showing.  And he is also thinking that these other vampires sound like they are more powerful than Godric’s kind.

Sam smirks.  “Our wolf bodies are actually made to do that.  Our teeth and claws can rip through their skin as though it is butter.”

Eric simply says, “Interesting.”  Then he informs them, “However, there are some things that are somewhat the same.  Both species are fast and strong, but their species declines in strength and speed after about a year.  Our speed and strength continually increase as we age.   Both are known to have gifts.  Their gifts are set when they are turned; ours are known to gain some as time goes by.  For instance, both Godric and I can fly.  My childe cannot, but she has only barely reached her century mark.  Godric’s speed and strength are beyond what is considered normal for his age, as are my own.  My main skill is generally considered tactical planning.  Both Godric and I are very experienced in  vampire politics which, at the very least, can be described as cut throat.  Both of us have shown evidence of skill with making money.  These are just a few of the examples of our skills, which actually number more than normal, but then we are some of the oldest vampires in the world.” He is working on processing all the information that is coming in from their Bloodline and others who want to have their Bloodline either owe them or think of them favorably in the future.

Thinking through the information he had just been given, Charlie frowns.  “But if you have been around before mankind, wouldn’t that mean there should be some really old ones?”

Godric smiles as he leans against the wall closest to where Bella is. “There should.  But as Eric has mentioned, our way of existence is very much life or death.  There are many who underestimate others, or others who fail to follow the laws of our kind.  Then there are ones like me, who just get tired of living life.  2,000 years is a very long time, and if you remember your history, some of the bloodiest known.” His mind is somewhat on the conversation; he has come to a conclusion already, but is waiting to hear from his son and his mate before initializing any of his plans.  But the rest of his mind is on his mate and wishing they already had a bond so that he could push some positive emotions to her.

Eric shifts in his chair as he reads incoming emails and comments to the group on the phone, “We have recently decided to come out.  Human technology has come close in the past to revealing different Supernaturals, and it has been decided that vampires are the first to expose themselves, given that we are the more radical of the Supes and there is already some love of our species because of our mystery.  There is a new synthetic blood being made in Japan that was invented by a coalition of vampires and Fae, with the help of witches and the Weres.  Right now it is being used in surgeries and passing every test that is being put to it.  The AVL, or Allied Vampire League, is going to use this as the reason we can come out and that we don’t have to drink from humans.”  Eric chuckles; he and Godric are going to make a killing as soon as the substance comes out.  Godric in fact had suggested it to help with the plan to come out. “It is all a lie.  While True Blood can be used as a substitute for a certain amount of time, depending on the age of the vampire, the magic that makes us what we are cannot subsist on it for a long period of time.  It does not have what we need from humans to animate us.”

Shaking his head at his child’s simple explanation, Godric expands, “As we get older, we can survive on less and less blood.  But on the other hand, it means that what we do take in, is needed in full.  Currently, most of us use blood bags from donation clinics.  It has what we need, and lessens the risk of exposure.  But there are those, mostly the older ones, who refuse to do this.  True Blood will actually be more useful for the younger ones to help them in between the crucial feedings.  But again, this is just an excuse so that we can start exposing the supernatural world to humans.  It will be happening by the end of this year, so you are only receiving the information ahead of time.”

“And more in depth and truthful than Nan will be spinning it.” Is Eric’s quick rejoinder.

Godric nods in agreement.

They are all digesting this news and Sam asks, “What about my tribe?”

Looking at the Native American in front of him, “That depends on you.  I will say that I would like to form an alliance between your tribe and my Bloodline.  Instead of smelling repulsive or even edible, you smell like the earth itself, a smell that is close to Vampires since to become one, you have to rest in the earth itself.  Plus there are the similarities to us in your mating practices.  No other species is close except the Fae.”

Frowning at a piece of information, Eric interrupts them and asks, “Does anyone know how close the Cold One was to Bella?”

Charlie clears his throat and answers, “They were dating.  But Bella told me just before her birthday when I brought up safe sex that she is a virgin.  I actually got the impression she was frustrated about it but it disappeared after Cullen left.”

Godric stands up straight.  He asks him, “Do you remember anything else like that, times when she had been irritated or upset but forgave him easily, or when she was acting oddly at all?”

Charlie frowns as he leans forward.  “Actually that is what made me dislike Edward.  It seemed like the more time they spent together, the more she was allowing him to dictate her life.  I even found myself agreeing with Alice when she would ask me things even though I had been determined to not agree.”

Godric growled and they could hear the vibration from Eric through the phone.  “Eric?”

He Calls for his child he tells Godric, “Working on it.  I am going to send Pam your way.  I will explain what is going on.  I will also be sending Alcide with her.  They will be there tomorrow, and I will notify you if I find anything else.  Do you want me to send Ludwig to you?”

Godric sends his thanks as he tells Eric, “Yes.  I want her to not only check Bella, but her father too.  Also, send this information to _her_.  It sounds as if they are not all as peaceful as Aro has promised.”  With that Eric hangs up the phone as Pam enters the room in answer to his summons.

In the Swan house, Godric is rigid and staring up at where Bella is.  He is thinking, and then turns to Charlie.  “Once the good doctor is here, I will have her check on Bella and then you.  What you have described is something we have suspected, but never had confirmed, and it may be what is causing Bella’s symptoms.  If it is, this coven will not escape us.”

And for the first time, Charlie gets chills as he sees how very dangerous Godric can be…

 

 

 

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**Final count, 4,282 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	5. I Wanna Call You Mine

# I Wanna Call You Mine

 

**[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/road-at-twilight.jpg) **

**Pre Edit Count -   2,486 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Wanted_ by Hunter Hayes

 

 

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_Previous:_

_Godric stands up straight.  He asks him, “Do you remember anything else like that, times when she had been irritated or upset but forgave him easily, or when she was acting oddly at all?”_

_Charlie frowns as he leans forward.  “Actually that is what made me dislike Edward.  It seemed like the more time they spent together, the more she was allowing him to dictate her life.  I even found myself agreeing with Alice when she would ask me things even though I had been determined to not agree.”_

_Godric growled and they could hear the vibration from Eric through the phone.  “Eric?”_

_He Calls for his child as he tells Godric, “Working on it.  I am going to send Pam your way.  I will explain what is going on.  I will also be sending Alcide with her.  They will be there tomorrow, and I will notify you if I find anything else.  Do you want me to send Ludwig to you?”_

_Godric sends his thanks as he tells Eric, “Yes.  I want her to not only check Bella, but her father too.  Also, send this information to her.  It sounds as if they are not all as peaceful as Aro has promised.”  With that Eric hangs up the phone as Pam enters the room in answer to his summons._

_In the Swan house, Godric is rigid and staring up at where Bella is.  He is thinking, and then turns to Charlie.  “Once the good doctor is here, I will have her check on Bella and then you.  What you have described is something we have suspected, but never had confirmed, and it may be what is causing Bella’s symptoms.  If it is, this coven will not escape us.”_

_And for the first time, Charlie gets chills as he sees how very dangerous Godric can be…_

_Now:_

 

 

* * *

The night is getting late but the Swan house only seems to get busier.  Normally it would be quiet, but that was before a change in destiny happened.  Inside, a dark haired vampire is working to get information on his mate.  Godric is on the phone, calling people and making arrangements, all in different languages.  The only time he had stopped is when he asked if they had a basement in the house.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/charlies-house1.png)

Charlie looks at him and says, “Yeah.” His mind is still trying to wrap around the information.  The only thing that is sticking in his mind is that Bella is going to be leaving.

Chuckling, Godric asks, “Do you mind if we use it?  I will be using it for a couple days, but Pam will be using it longer.  I am not sure what we will do with Alcide, but we can figure it out.” This would do at least until a home can be purchased close by.  The more Godric thinks about it, the more he realizes that a Cold One’s home would not be suitable.  They don’t care if sunlight shines on them when they are hidden away.  He didn’t want to take a chance that they had not made their home light-tight.

Besides, he wants his mate with him.  He will provide her with a home here if she wants; the only thing he will ask is to be able to be in the same home.   But he will not remain here, not with how volatile her father is being.

Calling his attention back to the Chief, Charlie is looking lost as he tells him, “There is a guest room down there that can be used?”

Thinking, Godric asks, “Is there a room that has no outside light coming into it?”  He will be still in his coffin when he rests, but he would like to be up and working when he is awake.  There will be plenty he needs to do now for his Mate.

Sam finally takes pity on Charlie, “I’ve been down there, Godric.  There is an old coal room that I can put a door on today to make sure no one can get in.  Will that work?”  He will be making sure there is no way for Charlie to get in since he doesn’t trust the Chief of Police any longer.  As he had thought before, he had given him the benefit of the doubt, but he is seeing and hearing with his own senses how little Charlie seems to care for Bella personally.

Thinking through the options, Godric nods. “I will be having my coffin brought in, and Pam is coming during the daytime so it will be delivered then.  I will be making sure that everything is here for her.”  No need to let anyone know about the alternative until he has spoken with Bella, if possible.  He wishes to incorporate her into his life as soon as he can.

Charlie shakes his head and asks, “Coffins?  What is going on?”  This is not making sense to him.  He looks longingly toward the kitchen thinking of the coffee maker but Bella had bought a new one and he never learned how to use it.  She had  programmed it to go off for him every morning.

Looking at the man in front of him and knowing he is overloaded with information, Godric advises him, “Eric is sending Pam and Alcide here for Bella’s protection.  We told you she is very important.  Pam is going to be helping taking care of her, and Alcide will be here during the days.  Pam has also taken courses in college and has the qualifications  to home school Bella.  She will be switching to vampire hours for now, but this way Pam can make sure she is educated in everything she needs to know about Vampires and the supernatural.” There is no way his mate will be attending public school.  There are vampires out there who would be thrilled to take Bella from him.  All it would take is a phone call and many humans would do it without even knowing who they are really working for.

As he is making plans in his head to safeguard his mate, Godric smiles as he tells Charlie, “The coffins are for the day time.  They protect us during our most vulnerable time.  We literally die and cannot awaken if something comes for us.  In our homes, most of us have secret rooms and such.  You have no idea how hard but yet easy it is to be nocturnal now.  Pam’s coffin will be delivered with Alcide, and he will take care of everything.  He is a Were, as in a real Werewolf.  His family line and pack is sworn to my Bloodline.  I saved the life of one of his ancestors in the past and in gratitude they swear their fealty to me.  They are some of the most truly trustworthy people I know else I would not trust them with my  Children or myself, much less Bella.”

Afterward, he has been on the phone as Sam went downstairs to see about the coal room.  He nodded when Sam came back up with the measurements and called his supplier to get the special door he knew he had in stock.

For his part, Godric is aware of the passing time and his increasing need to know what is wrong with his Mate.  His plans depend on her, as they should and will from now on.  He is feeling a little bit anxious, but he figures that it is the Mating Bond exerting its influence on him, urging him to complete the Bond.  He has never heard of a situation like his where he has somehow managed to not form the Mating Bond as soon as he had found her, so he is anticipating some oddities.  However, he himself wishes for the Bond to be completed as soon as possible so he can be with her, with his other half, and so they can both be whole.

Charlie just sits there trying to understand all he has been told.  His eyes go upstairs to Bella, but Emily had come down a moment ago and told them that Bella is just staring into space.  Sam had looked at his mate, hung up his phone, and opened his arms for her.  He still holds Emily close to comfort her as she cries for his daughter.

He can no longer deny the truth in front of him.  There are vampires, and the Cold Ones were involved with his daughter.  Then it makes him wonder about Phoenix.  He looks up and clears his throat to get someone’s attention.

Godric asks the other person on the phone to hold and looks over to him. “Yes?” He is not impressed with the man in front of him.  He hopes that it is the shock of the influx of information, but is saddened to think that this is the man who is his Mate’s father.

Grimacing as he takes in the dismissal he hears in the vampire’s tone, Charlie haltingly beings, “Umm, this past spring, Bella got into a fight with me and ran off to Phoenix.  She broke her leg badly and there was something wrong with her arm.  She also lost a lot of blood.  The story I was told was that Carlisle and Edward had gone after her to talk her into coming back.  On the way out of the hotel, she fell and broke her leg.  I’m wondering now if that was the truth?”  He looks away as he wonders how much actually went on around him that he never knew. And the information that these vampires are coming out… He will need to be prepared for rioting…though this is Forks.

With this new information from Charlie, Godric’s eyes go dark as night and he growls.  He says into the phone, “Isabel, I will call you back.  I may be here longer than I thought.”  He then hangs up his phone and looks upstairs, trying to decide which would be worse.  But he _needs_  to see his mate, to examine her and make sure she is ok.

Right before he leaves, a short woman appears before him with a medical bag.

Looking down at her, he gives her a respectful nod.  “Ludwig.” The woman in front of him had been one of the first of her race to give her loyalty to him.  He has done many things to help her out, and she is based in Eric’s area.  Both of them make sure she is always supported in her endeavors since she has helped many Supes.  He values the Brownie in front of him more than most vampires.

With the same respect, she bows her head, “Milord.  Eric called and said you needed me?  That you found your Mate?” She looks up and a smile is playing on her lips with the simple joy knowing that the man who had won her respect is one of the favored few to be granted his mate.

A light smile shows on Godric’s face at the mention of Bella as his mate, and he tells her concisely, “Tá, tá Bella ó anamchara. Amhras againn go bhfuil an stát go bhfuil sí i ba chúis leis an cinn Fuar. Tá a athair a bhí ina intinn a athrú agus faoi deara an rud céanna léi. Sé freisin ach dúirt liom go raibh ar siúl sí ar shiúl ag pointe amháin agus go ndeachaigh siad chun a thabhairt ar ais di, ach gur thit sí agus bhris a cos agus bhí caillteanas fola ollmhór.” ( _Yes, Bella is my soul mate.  We suspect that the state she is in is caused by the Cold Ones.  Her father has had his mind changed and has noticed the same thing with her.  He also just told me that she had run away at one point and that they went to bring her back, but that she fell and broke her leg and had massive blood loss_.)

Charlie is not the only one  listening to him with his mouth hanging open.  Godric’s accent is obvious when he is speaking English, but this…this was as though they were thrown into the past.  There is no doubt that he is who he says he is.

Ludwig nods as she thinks.  She asks, “An bhfuil a thosaigh tú an Banna ó anamchara?” ( _Have you started the soul mate Bond?)_

“Uimh.” ( _No_.)

She nods and heads up the stairs with Godric following close behind her.  Charlie makes to follow them, but Sam stops him.  “Charlie, I don’t think you need to be there.  If Godric is like Jared or I would be, he will already be on edge just being in the room with her, and then there will be the added stress of Ludwig being in there as a doctor to check on his mate. To have another male in there would only make it worse…that you are her father will not matter.  He is her mate, the other half of her soul, just as if they were married.  Godric is trying to give you more time with her as he gets her used to their world, but make no mistake, she is his.”

In his world, this is the law.  He doesn’t know about Godric’s world, the one he is about to become part of, but judging by the everyone’s reactions, he understands that Bella is a huge deal for Godric.  Because of her rarity as  Godric’s soul mate, he figures their laws would be similar.

Clenching his jaw, Charlie watches them go into her room.  “She’s only 18, Sam.” And she is _his_  daughter.  Charlie is gearing up to fight to keep her.  He does not need her to be taken from him right now.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/charlie1.png)

Coming up to the other side of him, Billy tells him, “And from the time _he_ is from, _she_  is a spinster.  By the laws of the Tribe, she has been an adult since she turned 16.  Even by human laws she is an adult, and even if not, she would have been declared one long ago based on the decisions she has been forced to make most of her life.”

Looking up at his childhood friend, Billy sighs.  Charlie needs to snap out of the world he exists in, and realize that Godric may be the only hope that Bella has if he is reading the reactions of the vampires correctly. “Charlie, the Cold Ones had your daughter.  He might be the only chance you have in saving her life.  Yes, she may become a vampire, but you know she will be well guarded, well cared for.  He has already called in a specialist, and has his Child looking for answers.  He has a guard coming to protect her.  Eric’s own Child is coming, which by Godric and Eric’s reactions  is an honor from them to her,  to tutor her along with caring for her.  He is taking care of her right now.  And he has done the same for his own Child for over a thousand years.  Why would you think he would take any less care of her?”

Closing his eyes, he tells Billy, “I haven’t had her for long.  Renee kept her away from me and poisoned her against staying with me.  It was only when she wanted to travel with her husband that she planted the idea of coming here.  Is it so wrong I want to keep her with me?”

“Yes.”

Charlie’s head whips up to meet Godric’s eyes.

Hearing the argument outside the room, and as well as Ludwig’s polite request that he keep them quiet as she examines his mate, Godric came out to the confrontation he wished could have been delayed until later.   Meeting the brown eyes that he has noticed from the pictures around the house are identical to his Mates, Godric concisely advises him, “She is my other half, so I will try to be kind.  However, neither you nor your ex-wife deserve her.  She has been refused a childhood because your ex-wife couldn’t be bothered to do her job. When she comes here, she doesn’t have to worry about working to make sure she has food and electricity, but she is your live in maid.  She cleans your house, cooks your food, washes your clothes, and buys the food and anything else needed for the house.  She should be enjoying her childhood, even at this late date.  Instead she has had to learn from a young age to bear the weight of an adults worries.  And while I know most people, including myself, wouldn’t say anything against chores for the young, I suspect she doesn’t even get an allowance, just the right to stay here.  I also suspect that she makes the food, you come in to eat it, and then promptly return to your TV.  That is not being a father.  That is not even a roommate.”

Charlie’s face reddens and his eyes darken in his anger.  Godric didn’t stop though.  He asks him, “If she did all this for me and I acted like you, wouldn’t you be upset with me?  So why would I not be displeased about you treating my Mate this way?”

Emily quietly says from the safety of her own mate’s arms, “He is right, Charlie.  Everyone knows that Bella keeps your house.  And I know that she is also working at Newton’s for money for her truck and for college.  She has an old computer but never says anything about it.  Instead of spending your days off with her, you instead go on fishing trips with Billy and Harry.  Once in awhile wouldn’t be bad, but you go every single weekend.  From what I have heard around town, I’m not shocked that she got so involved with the Cold One.  He was the first person who truly paid attention to her.  She is so hungry for real  affection and love that she will take whatever is offered.  He may have done something to her later on, but she did walk into this with eyes wide open…well, as wide open as a human not wanting to believe anything evil of the first person who cared for her could be.  Who can blame her?”

Charlie clenches his jaw.  He finally spits out, “You don’t think I love her?”

Godric shakes his head. “There is no question that you love your daughter.  It’s more that you don’t appreciate her nor do you know what to do with her.  When she came here to live, you took advantage of her living here to make your life easier, but you never changed your life to bring her into it.   If your ex-wife had not been so much of a ditz, there might have been no problems.  But Bella has been so overwhelmed that she has no idea what is real love is, what a real childhood is.  You love your daughter, and it is not all your fault that you don’t know how to show it, but it _is_ your fault that you are not more active in her life.  You could have easily spent the time eating with her to find out more about her, about her day.  Something so simple, and it would have not taken up any more of your time, but now…now we are dealing with whatever the Cold Ones did to her, as well as dealing with her heartbreak from losing the only loving she has received.  But from now on, she will receive the love and devotion she deserves.”

Charlie just glares up at the man in front of him, the man who is going to take his daughter away from him, the man who just called him out on his shortcomings.  _But, damnit… he is right.  I could have just asked her about her day when we sat down to eat, instead I allowed our awkwardness to continue instead of working to get over it.  I could have taken her up to Seattle or done so many other things with her._

He drops his glare and closing his eyes as he makes one of the most painful admissions of his life, “You’re right.”  But then he looks up, “But I don’t want to lose her either!”

Emily sighs, “If you do lose her, Charlie, it will be because of what you did.  It’s your choice now, Godric has already detailed what is going to happen.  You had a chance at the easy way of being part of your daughter’s life.  Now, you will have to work around his plans.  And since his plans are to ready his mate for her new life and to make sure that she will not be lost in it, you cannot in good conscience make it hard for her.  So it will be up to you, and the effort you want to expend on getting to know your daughter.  If I were you, I would also make every effort to learn about this world and to get on the good side of Godric and his group of people.  That is your future.” Her voice is hard, not giving an inch.  This man needs to be aware of the world around him, and how much his mistakes have cost him.  _His_ choices have led them to where they are now.  Not Bella’s.

Looking away, Charlie sighs as he realizes they are right. “What needs to be done?”

Just then Ludwig came out of Bella’s room.  She is angry as she informs them, “You need to get ready for a fight on your hands for that girl’s life.  Godric, call your Second.  Time is going to be our enemy for once.”  Everything she heard from the room makes her want to tell Godric to take that young girl out of that room and hide her away from the world…and that was decided _before_ her prognosis.

Everyone stares at the small woman with looks of horror on their faces as they realize what she is saying.

 

 

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**Final count, 3.357 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	6. Strength To Go

 

# Strength To Go

**[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/forest-road-700x437.jpg) **

**Pre Edit Count -   2,757 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Robot Boy_ by Linkin Park

 

 

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_Previous:_

_Emily sighs, “If you do lose her, Charlie, it will be because of what you did.  It’s your choice now, Godric has already detailed what is going to happen.  You had a chance at the easy way of being part of your daughter’s life.  Now, you will have to work around his plans.  And since his plans are to ready his mate for her new life and to make sure that she will not be lost in it, you cannot in good conscience make it hard for her.  So it will be up to you, and the effort you want to expend on getting to know your daughter.  If I were you, I would also make every effort to learn about this world and to get on the good side of Godric and his group of people.  That is your future.” Her voice is hard, not giving an inch.  This man needs to be aware of the world around him, and how much his mistakes have cost him.  His choices have led them to where they are now.  Not Bella’s._

_Looking away, Charlie sighs as he realizes they are right. “What needs to be done?”_

_Just then Ludwig came out of Bella’s room.  She is angry as she informs them, “You need to get ready for a fight on your hands for that girl’s life.  Godric, call your Second.  Time is going to be our enemy for once.”  Everything she heard from the room makes her want to tell Godric to take that young girl out of that room and hide her away from the world…and that was decided before her prognosis._

_Everyone stares at the small woman with looks of horror on their faces as they realize what she is saying._

_Now:_

 

 

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[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/eric-and-pam.jpg)

Eric looks up from hanging up on the phone to see Pam waiting for him.  “Godric has found his mate and reopened our bond.” He states it plainly, but the feelings of awe and happiness trickle through their bond to her.

Pam couldn’t help but allow a little smile to form.  “Well, it’s about time.  I figured something must have happened because I could feel an odd echo.  But it feels different than before.”  She looks down at her nails and checks them to see if there are any chips after she threw out a pair of rough necks for insulting her.

Leaning back in his seat, he steeples his fingers in front of him as he tells her, “The echo is his mate.  He gave her a couple of drops of his blood because he found her out in the woods in Washington in the rain.  He was worried that she may become sick.  But to his surprise, especially since he was so careful in not touching her and she didn’t open her eyes, he feels her as though she is right next to him even when he was miles away.”  He looks up at her with his intense blue eyes and tells her bluntly, “I can feel her.”

Rocking back on her feet, she lifts an eyebrow.

Eric nods.  Then he gets another email in, quickly reads it, and then puts the information in the correct columns.   After he was finished, he waves at her to seat herself.

After dealing with a few more emails he explains to her, “His Mate is Isabella Swan.  She goes by Bella.  For some reason, there is a lot of information about her because of her relation to a Native American Tribe.  Seems that, per Godric, they are the natural enemies of the Cold Ones, and because a coven of these Cold Ones settled in the area, it triggered whatever it is that causes them to change.  Unlike Weres, they are the size of a small horse, and their ability to phase is in no way influenced by the moon. Godric is working with the tribe to gain an alliance for our Bloodline.  But someone in Washington is keeping track of their tribe and those associated with it, however nothing has been brought to the Council’s attention nor anyone else’s.  Godric is taking the reins of this alliance and securing the group.”

Closing his eyes as he is hit with Bella’s rejection and her pain, Eric can’t help but send comfort to his Maker.  He only wishes he could help Bella the same way.  No one deserves to feel this way…

Pam is shocked by the shadow of pain and… _rejection?_ she is receiving from her Maker.   She cocks her head to the side, sending him her curiosity as she tries to make sense of what is happening.

Sighing when the feelings lessen their grip on Godric, Eric looks up and tells her, “That…is Bella.  I have no idea how Godric is fighting the Mating when he is feeling this so much stronger than we are.” Nor is he able to figure out his own pull to the woman.

Shaking her head, “A breather is going through this?”  The dismissal is evident in her voice and demeanor.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/dismissive-pam.png)

Before she finishes the sentence, Eric snarls at her. “NEVER call her that again!  She is Godric’s mate and you WILL respect her.  She deserves your respect since she is living with that pain as we speak.  If I need to order this, tell me now.  Godric does not need your apathy toward his mate right now.  He has asked for you and I agreed to send you to him and her tonight along with Alcide.”

Pam stares at him, shocked.  “Fuck a duck.  What does he want me for?”

Eric’s fangs extend as he leans forward to force his will on her. “Pamela.  It is an honor to be asked to help care for Godric’s Mate.  His Human Mate.  His vulnerable, hurting Human Mate that we just found out was dating a Cold One.  His Human Mate who has only ever been loved or shown love by a Cold One.  His Mate who was forced at the age of 7 to begin worrying about working, and who at age 5 was cooking so she could eat.  She deserves your respect for herself, but if you cannot do that, at the very least have respect for the Mate of our Bloodline’s leader.”  By the end of this, he is snarling and leaning far enough over his desk to make his child shrink back from him.

“S-s-sorry Eric.  It’s just-“

Still snarling, he finishes her statement, “You have no respect for anyone who is not a vampire. Well news break for you, Pamela.  She will be a Vampire and your Mistress, your Queen.  Now, will you respect her, or do I need to issue an order?”

Pam’s eyes are wide.  She can feel Eric ruthlessly scouring the Bond between them to guarantee she is telling him the truth.  This was not what she was expecting when he called her.  From the way Eric is acting, she would think it is his own Mate, not Godric’s.  But she can feel his respect for her and he is being truthful with her that he will order if need be.

She settles herself and asks Eric softly, “Can you tell me more about her?  I think I need to hear what I will be dealing with as I take care of her.” She will try just because she has never known Eric to feel this way about a breather.

Scrutinizing her with his eyes and through the bond, he finally nods and sits back down.  He deals with more emails as he states, “Godric has put the call out.  All information about the Cold Ones is to be sent to me.  He has named me his Second.”

He waits for her shock to subside before he continues, “As I told you, Bella has had no childhood due to her so-called mother.  The woman is ditzy to say the very least.  She can barely even keep a job.  The whole reason Bella is in Washington to begin with is because her mother married a younger man who is part of a secondary farm baseball team that travels a lot.  She then basically moped and whined about having to stay with her daughter, instead of traveling with her husband, to the point that Bella agreed to move to Washington, to the same place her mother had brainwashed her into thinking was the worst place in the world, just to make her happy.

Then her father, who does love her, but cannot tell her or show her, allows her into the house, and has her take over care of the entire household, cooking for him, washing his clothes, and doing his shopping.  The only thing different is that she doesn’t have to worry about paying the bills. He’s done nothing to show this change in his life.  He still spends his weekends fishing and he eats the meals she makes but then goes to watch TV, beer in hand.  This is, of course, after she brings him the aforementioned beer.”

The last is said so scathingly that Pam has no doubt that if Eric ever meets the man, he will be giving him a piece of his mind.  Eric has never gotten past his roots as a Viking who treasured children.  He is one of the harshest Sheriffs against any form of child abuse  in the world.

As another email comes in from Godric, he sighs and scrubs his face. “According to Godric, he just found out that she had taken a job in town to pay for her gas and college.  She maintains a high grade point average and from all the information I have gathered on her, is extremely intelligent.” He is trying to not growl and calm down so that if he ever meets the man he won’t attack him on principle.

Pam scowls as she puts it together, “And probably has low self-esteem issues up the ass.  What are people doing to their children nowadays?”

Pleased as he feels Pam softening towards Bella, he nods. “The only affection she has been shown is by this coven of Cold Ones.  Then, earlier today, they just left for no known reason.  There are rumors of the wife being bored and of a higher paying job for the coven leader, but this is highly irregular for them.  Godric found her in the woods muttering the phrase ‘he left’ over and over, and she hasn’t come out of it yet.  Because of this, he went to her home after the meeting in Seattle and is now confronting her father.  Earlier, in an effort to give him the benefit of a doubt, Godric, the Tribe’s Chief, and the Alpha of the new Supes opened the man’s eyes to the supernatural world.  Her father, the Chief of Police Charlie Swan, revealed to Godric that he had found himself and Bella both changing their minds when the Cold Ones wanted something.  This was bad enough to have Godric changing his plans, asking for you, and calling for Ludwig.  Then later, he tells Godric that Bella had run away at one point, and that the leader of the coven and the boy dating Bella had went after her. She supposedly fell and broke her leg, and lost a lot of blood.  When I found the records, which had been hidden extremely well, “a lot of blood” meant 2 liters of blood being transfused.”  The amount had made him pause and growl when he read it.  She had barely survived.  Godric will not be happy when he finds out.

At Pam’s gasp, Eric meets her eyes. “I have not given Godric that news nor have I told him about the sheer amount trauma they found on her body.  I plan to give that to you along with the other information I have either found or been sent so far.”  He levels a look at her, “Needless to say, he is going to be upset.” He watches as Pam realizes what he is not saying.  She needs to learn what happens with a Vampire and their mates.  It is rare, but he had taught her like Godric had taught him.

Pam slumps down.  She murmurs, “You’re right.  This human deserves respect.  Why am I going ?” Her eyes lift to meet his as she is completely honest.  With this information, she deserves respect.  And they really have no idea what happened to her in Phoenix.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/pam-2.png)

Watching her, Eric nods as he feels her truthfulness.  “You will be going to help guard her and to help take care of her if need be.  Godric is also putting her under your tutelage using your teaching degree to allow you to homeschool her.  Obviously you will be teaching more than the coursework.  He wants her to be prepared for our world.  At this time, he has not initiated the Bond with her, and  we are waiting for Dr. Ludwig’s prognosis.”  Not said was that she would also protect Bella with her life if need be.

He takes a deep breath.  “Pamela, I think you can understand the importance of this now.  This woman will be the leader of our Bloodline along with Godric.  He admitted tonight he was going to greet the sun if this hadn’t happened.”

At her gasp, he nodded his head.  “You will have any and all resources and help that you think are necessary.  If her wellbeing would be better away from her father, you will move with her to a place of Godric’s choosing.  As of now, nothing is more important to you than her.  Go pack and be ready to depart at dawn.  Alcide will travel with you and be in charge of getting you there.  He will also have the packet for you to give to Godric.”

With that, Pamela nods.  She vamps out, and Eric leans back in his seat.  He winces as another wave of pain shoots through the Bond.  He hopes that between Pamela and Godric they can help her.  If not, Eric will be on his way there to help also.  Bella is too important to their Bloodline at this point not to do everything needed.

 

 

* * *

Godric calls Eric for the third time that night.  For two who haven’t spoken in such a long time, it is a sign of how much the Bond has changed them, and on top of that, it shows how much Godric trusts his eldest.

“Northman”

Godric sighs. “Eric.  Ludwig has finished her study of Bella and told me that I needed to have you on the phone.”  He hesitates, and Eric, feeling the dread, tells him without needing to be asked, “I will be there with Pamela today, Master.  The Bloodline has done nothing but send us their support.  They can feel the change and are gearing up for anything you need done.”

Godric has a slight smile on his face as he sends his thanks to his Son.  “That will be fine.”

Ludwig had been silent out of respect for her leader.  She bows her head to him and, once she feels his approval, tells him bluntly, “Are you ready to fight for your mate, Godric?  From what I’ve found, there has been some damage to her in the past.  On top of that, her blood needs to be tested by one of you, but I found things in there that shouldn’t be there.  It looks as though she had been bitten at some point in the past.  With that, I proceeded to examine her body and found a bite mark.  Godric, there’s no way she should be a walking, living person if she was bitten.” Her face is hard; she is not happy with the state of Godric’s mate.  She will do all that she can do to save her, but she suspects that it will be an uphill battle.  But if anyone can heal her, it will be Godric.

Both Eric and Godric are growling along with Sam, but Sam stopped when he heard another growl.  He looks around the room and finally asked, “Who else is listening?”

Eric voice comes over the phone and tells them, “My Child Pamela.  She had come in to give me the last of her paperwork and I had asked her to stay since this is about her charge.” Not said was that Pamela couldn’t help the growl and that Eric is proud of his Child’s maturity in this.

Godric nods as he thinks furiously.  He states to Ludwig, “There is more.” He didn’t want to think that more that is wrong with his precious mate, but if there is more, he needs to know it.  That he will fight for her did not need to be said.

She nods. “The stuff in her blood is like a drug, the closest I can think of is like Heroin.  She is literally a drug addict being cut off cold turkey.  And this form of drug is unique to that species.  She should not be reacting like this no matter how bad the breakup is.  But that is also what tipped me off.” She stares at Godric, waiting for his instructions.

Godric sighs.  “Eric, come with Pamela and bring Alcide and 2 others.  I need a home to operate from and I think I will look into their old home.   Make sure that house is ready for all of us.  Make this happen.  I will not be leaving her side until we get her in the clear.”  He is not happy with Bella’s father, and he does not feel it is safe to leave Bella’s side, either. The man is not looking too well after all the revelations he has had today.

Ludwig hesitates, then tells Godric, “I would strongly suggest you go ahead and Bond with her.  It may bring her out of this long enough for us to get some answers that we need.”  She looks up at the Mistress’s father and tells him bluntly, “You have basically lost your daughter.  This is not a “hope she comes out of it on her own” heartbreak. No, this will entail creating a new family unit around her and making it so that she knows they can never leave her.  Ever.  They will last through the times.  So right now, decide what you want to do. Think on what I just told you.  For the rest of you, I need Godric to come with me.”  She knows what Godric’s decision will be.  But being Godric, while he may not give her the choice of mating, he will try to give her control of everything else.  However, right now they need her to be functional and the Mating Bond may be the best chance.

Eric’s voice comes through, “Are you starting the Bond now?” He is already setting up Godric’s requests and making sure he lets Isobel know to get everything ready at Godric’s homes in Dallas as well. During this time he receives back the Council’s acknowledgment of Godric’s mating and the command to remember that his Mate comes before everything else.  Basically, giving both Eric and Godric the ok to do anything they need to do without worrying about their respective lieges.  However, on the heels of that is Godric’s King asking if they need any additional help.

Ludwig continues to make her way up the stairs, “It may be the only thing that can make her respond.  I will be putting a spell on the room for total darkness and to prevent anyone from entering until nightfall without my approval.” She looks quickly at Charlie and they all realize that the spell is for him, too.  None of them are very trusting of Bella’s father right now.

Then she turns to Godric as they enter the room. “My heart hurts for her.”  Godric nods.  He is staring at his mate with sheer longing on his face.

She smiles gently, and tells him, “Do it.  Hold her close, and have a first blood exchange also.  This way we can monitor her at all times.  Seems you will be bound to your mate a lot during this time.”

Godric walks over and in seconds is by Bella’s side, smoothing her hair from her face.  “She is well worth it all.  Thank you, Ludwig.”

She smiles as she closes the door and casts the spell for them both.

Then her face hardens and she goes back down to Chief Sawn, “Your turn.  And I am giving you a warning.  Eric is coming.  Be afraid.”  And she snaps the gloves on her hands.

 

 

* * *

**Final count, 3,450 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	7. But I’m Yours

# But I’m Yours

**[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/black-forest-germany.jpg) **

**Pre Edit Count -   4,593 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: I’m Yours_ by The Script

 

 

* * *

_Previous:_

_Then she turns to Godric as they enter the room. “My heart hurts for her.”  Godric nods.  He is staring at his mate with sheer longing on his face._

_She smiles gently, and tells him, “Do it.  Hold her close, and have a first blood exchange also.  This way we can monitor her at all times.  Seems you will be bound to your mate a lot during this time.”_

_Godric walks over and in seconds is by Bella’s side, smoothing her hair from her face.  “She is well worth it all.  Thank you, Ludwig.”_

_She smiles as she closes the door and casts the spell for them both._

_Then her face hardens and she goes back down to Chief Swan, “Your turn.  And I am giving you a warning.  Eric is coming.  Be afraid.”  And she snaps the gloves on her hands._

_Now:_

 

 

* * *

Godric is standing inside the bedroom looking at his Mate.  His poor broken mate who, through no fault of her own, is hurting and going through so much that she does not deserve to have to endure.  He looks briefly around the small room  to try to to see what her life has been like beyond the few things that Eric and he have discovered.  He doesn’t want to know too much yet as he finds himself craving the sound of her voice as she tells him things about herself, but he also needs to know more about her as he wants to gift her with something for allowing him to be her mate…if he can convince her not to hate him for what he is about to do.

She is about to become his now, mated to him in one of the most intense Bonds that, according to his Maker, will supersede even his close Bond with Eric.  He had wanted for her to know him, to let him romance her and have her come to love him without outside influences.  Although it seems that his desires were fated to fail from the beginning since he had already had to give her his blood and her body reacted so differently than expected.

But he cannot deny that he is secretly happy about this either.  He wants and needs his mate.  Right now he can sense her feelings, but he can’t do anything to help with them in the way that Eric has been helping him with hers.  He also longs to hold her, to purr and do whatever it takes to make her feel better.  If he needs to he will turn her and they will deal with everything then.  For right now, however, he is trying to get used to time hanging over him.

Sure there have been instances in the past when time was important, but nothing has ever felt closer to his heart than his own mate and the limited amount time she has left. Nothing brings his rage closer to the surface than to think this time limit has been imposed on his Mate by the Cold Ones.  How dare they limit her time on this earth, the time it may have taken for him to find her?  Didn’t they care that the other half of her very soul was out there?

Sighing in dismissal of what he cannot change now, he moves to her side and brushes his hand across her face.  The spark that went through them both like a lightning strike makes her open her eyes in shock and meet his, and just like that, they are Mated.

No one knows why it is that easy, why they didn’t have to actually copulate or even exchange blood, but if you find your mate, if you are _lucky enough_ to find your mate, it seems that the fates didn’t want to make it too hard to bind the two together.

Feeling her confusion and fear, Godric smiles at his mate, “Shh, a thaisce ( _my treasure_ ).  My name is Godric.  I know you are confused, but we have the rest of the night and if need be, the day, to talk.  I am confused also, so may we get to know each other?” He is drinking her in, as a thirsty man would in the desert upon finding water.  And he has never felt so comfortable in his skin, in his soul, as he looks into her brown eyes that have flecks of green all through them.

Blinking, Bella turns her head and moans with how bad her whole body is aching, and her head is pounding.  She clenches her teeth against the pain and manages to sit up with Godric’s help.  She looks over at the boy beside her, and stills.  That look in his eyes tells of his age.  It is the same look in any of the Cullen’s eyes, but he isn’t cold to her, nor does he have red or gold eyes.  In fact he has the most beautiful blue-green eyes she has ever seen on anyone.

She gazes over the rest of him.  His dark hair suites him perfectly, and it is just long enough for her to run her hands through it.  Her eyes travel down his body, and she can see that he must have been aggravated for some reason as his tie is loosened and his top button was undone.  Her head tilts to the side as she tries to make sense of what she is seeing.  She cannot deny the curl of lust that shoots through her body as she looks at him.  He is everything she has ever dreamed about and there is nothing about him that doesn’t outshine Edward…

Godric stands still and allows his mate to look him over.  When she appears confused, he quietly asks, “What is wrong, a thaisce?”

She looks him in the eye and asks, “What are you?” That look in his eyes and the accent in his voice all hint to her that he is more than human.

He gives a wry laugh. “It seems my job tonight is to repeat myself.”  At her look he admits to her, “But this telling is the only one I have wanted to give.  Are you ready for this?  Because it will turn the world you think you know upside down.” He watches her closely for any sort of sign that maybe she won’t reject him, that she might do the impossible and accept him instead.

Bella can’t help the sound that comes out of her.  It was supposed to be a laugh, but the derision was too much there.  “I don’t think that you could turn my world any more upside down than it already is.”

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/bella-in-bed.png)

Sighing, Godric tells her, “Don’t be too sure about that.  But can you tell me the names of the vampires you were associating with?  I don’t want to offend you, but calling them the Cold Ones the entire time may do that.”

Bella just stares at him in shock.

He waits but realizes she is just too dazed.  He softly informs her, “I will tell you the story as I know it.  Then I will wish to hear you fill in the details that we are sorely lacking.”  He put his hand up to her cheek and gently cups it, “But, you will find that while the world will be different, you will have someone by your side for the rest of time.  Someone who loves you, and will worship you for the thaisce you truly are.”  He wants her to understand that no matter what, she has someone to walk the ages by her side.  No matter if it’s the short years of her human life and then forever in the afterlife, or as one of his kind.  He will be there, he has nothing that matters to him more than her.

He smiles at her bewildered look and settles onto the bed beside her.  He begins,   “I am going to tell you the story of my life.  Please don’t interrupt me, as this will be hard enough to get through in one telling.  What you are about to hear is a tale that only two people in this world know.” And this way he can tell her exactly what she is getting into with him.  There will never be any secrets between them, and this will be a way to get out as many as he can….

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/black-forest-germany-4.jpg)

He waits for her nod before he begins to divulge his life story. “I was born to a world much different than this.  It was full of life and secrets in the shadows of the great trees.  A time when the Gods actually walked among men.  My childhood was fun, I was loved and knew it.  I remember the times as a blur of playing, swinging my sticks with the other boys of our tribe, imitating the warriors who trained around us.  I recall the end of that summer period in my youth when I was picked to be trained for a warrior’s life.  The time after that was harder, but still was a phase I look back on fondly to this day.  I grew with others of my skill, hunting and fighting together.  Life was good, and those memories are treasured for making me what I became.”

His eyes darken as he remembers, as he tries to relate to her his past that is nothing but rumors in this time, “However, it all ended way too quickly in my mind.  During this time is when we were invaded.  The warriors took us, had us stay in trees and shoot arrows as they ambushed the invading army.  One of those times, when the invaders made it further than was thought, I made my first kill.  I defended a boy of another group similar to mine and ended up in the middle of a battle.  I never hesitated, it was my duty and right to defend what is ours.”

Taking another breath, Godric watches his mate as he continues, “After that battle, I was declared a man by our standards.  I was 13 summers old.  It was a good time.  I trained with other warriors, gaining my marks as I passed the tests and battles.  When I turned 15 summers, our current chief died and I was allowed to compete with the others for that position.  I won.  I was feasted and given the accolades of the tribe for winning against all the contenders.  It was a huge deal as I had taken down warriors more advanced in age than I was.  I was marked with the chieftain’s chain.” Godric gestures vaguely toward his chest, then continues, “I led our tribe, and it was a prosperous time.  Due to our priest, I was also marked with the mark of our god.  It was thought that he touched me personally and I cannot tell you even after all this time if they were right or not.  There is much in my life that seems as though I was god-touched. Each of my feats and challenges are marked on my arm, described in detail.”

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/black-forest-germany-2.jpg)

His eyes were lost in that era, and Bella realized their dreamy bluish-green hue perfectly matched the colors of a summer day in the shade of trees. She is still shocked to realize that he is telling of the far, far past; that he must be older than anyone she has heard of.  She also is intrigued by the mentions of him being marked.  Looking at his chest, she wonders how much is marked…

Godric’s voice continues, “For the standards of this time, it was a harsh life, children were rare and many died.  My feats are lost in legend, to time itself.  But it was a good life.  Then the invaders came back again.  I was responsible for the tribe, and we pushed them back many times.  But as chief, my place was at the head of battle, leading by example.  And one day, when I was 18 summers old, one of their warriors pulled a cowardly move and knocked me out from behind.  When I came to, I was bound in ropes and raped multiple times by the coward and his comrades.  It was a time that I learned more about pain and the use of torture.  They used everything they could to break me, every tactic common for the times.  I was branded as one of their slaves, and I will wear that brand for the rest of my life.  However, it is not with shame that I wear it.  I wear it with pride that I overcame those times.  I fought and was punished many times because of my rebellion.  The last night I was alive, I had been brought to their main camp.  My master had mistakenly thought that I was too damaged that night from the torture and then his pleasures to do anything.  Instead, I instigated a rebellion and managed to free many of my countrymen.  They helped carry me past the guards and only left me when it was apparent that I was not going to survive.  They helped me carry out the funeral rites of my tribe and left me with a sword, which was one of the greatest tributes one can carry to the afterlife.  I was prepared to die and was thankful that I had done what I could in my life.”

Bella had tears in her eyes, listening to this proud warrior telling his tale to her.  The sheer horror she felt when he casually told her he was raped and tortured astounded her.  The look in his eyes told her that in order to tell her these things, he is having to relive those times.

Smelling and feeling her compassion for him, he wraps an arm around her and smiles when she cuddles into him.  He waits until she is a little more composed and continues his tale.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/ap-3-judi-dench.gif)

“An old woman came into the clearing where I was and stood over me. I could hardly see her with my vision blurred from the blood running in them and swollen from the beatings I had taken.  It was the darkest part of the forest, and she was nothing more than a blur to me. She looked down at me and told me that she had been sent to save me.  I thought she was the Crone, and was taking me to Underworld.  Instead she attacked me and drained my blood.  I barely remember her telling me, “ _My little one, you will bring about a whole new world.  Your time has not come, nor will it.  You will walk by yourself for a millennium before finding the son of your heart.  You will teach him and become his brother, father and son.  Once you have taught him all you know, you will travel with him and become legend.  Then, after you know loneliness again, you will find your other half, and your Bloodline will change the literal world._ “  And then there was nothing.”

He holds her to him as he explains what happened next, “I woke up in the ground.  For a child considered touched by the God of Water, it was torture.  I dug my way out of my grave and came out into the night.  That began a thousand years of me being nothing more than a savage, a learned one, but nothing stopped me from taking my anger and hate out on the world. At first, I did nothing but follow the armies of my enemy, feeding off the dying.  Every night, I had to suffer the agony of burying myself in the ground.  I slowly began to change as I taught myself more of the skills of the warriors that have come after me.  During the second century of my life, a druid came of my people.  He had been instructed to teach me the runes of our kind.  After him, during the many following years, other scholars came to me at night and taught me.  It wasn’t until almost a thousand years later that I came across a man fighting who drew me to him.  He was powerful, and smart. He led his men with a courage that is rarely seen, and won many battles that he shouldn’t have.  But, as comes to all who fight, he was wounded severely.  I found him lying on his funeral bier, his men waiting to dispatch him to his heaven. He was joking with them telling them he was pissed off about dying. I killed them all, and landed beside him.  He asked me if I was Death and then told me I was just a little boy.”  Godric laughs.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/godric-turning-eric-1.gif)

Looking down at his Mo anam cara (Soul mate), he relates the conversation that he believes ultimately brought him to her, “He called me a swine for killing his men and when I complimented him on his fighting, he told me he would fight me now.  I have never known or seen a person since who had such a love for life.  I realized then that he was the one I was waiting for and hadn’t even realized it. The words of the old woman came to me and I asked him, ‘Could you be a companion of death? Could you walk with me through the world? Through dark? I’ll teach you all I know. I’ll be your father, your brother, your son.’  He thought about it then asked me what was in it for him. I told him the simple truth, ‘Life’.  He agreed.  I killed him, so that he could be reborn as my son, my brother, my father.  And when he rose after the third night, I was there beside him helping him out of the ground.  I never left his side for hundreds of years as he became everything to me.  I never knew what love was, and over those centuries, he taught me that.  He also civilized me, in his words.”  Godric laughs as he remembers how his son had given those lessons at the beginning.

Looking down at Bella he explains, “My son is a Viking.  He takes cleanliness to a whole new level, even back then.  The first night of his new life, he threw me into a lake, telling me that I stank.  Every time after that, he would toss me into water, deriding me and saying that as the worshiper of a water god, how could I not desire to be clean?  To tell you the truth, it had been because of those years burying myself in the ground and not caring.  After a while, I had become numb.  But he held me down and cleaned me the first time, ending up cutting some of my hair since it was so bad.”  He touched his hair, remembering. “It took until much later for the two of us to learn the trick of growing out our hair.  Seems that once we are turned, the length of our hair then, is the longest it will ever get.  We can cut it, and if we desire, we can grow it out.  Eric had cut it so very short because it was so bad.”  He shakes his head at the memories, grinning.

A movement from his mate bring his attention back to her, looking down to Bella he divulges, “Now, as you might have guessed, we are vampires.  Our history goes back much further than mankind’s and there are more than us out there.  The ones you met are called Cold Ones by everyone.  They are recent with even the oldest of them being younger than me.  No one knows how they came about and there is surprisingly very little known about them, as we are finding out to our dismay.  There are also not as many of them as there are of us.  Unlike them, we can be killed by sunlight and actually die during the day.  We can also be killed by a stake to the heart and large amounts of silver.  But we grow stronger as we age, and we gain different abilities.  We also have what we call the Bloodline.  My maker actually released me when I was turned, making me the head of my own Bloodline.  I offered to do the same with both of my children and one accepted.  Eric, on the other hand, has chosen to stay with me.  He is what they call a Dírige de semine Sanguinis, a direct descendant of the Blood.  His child and any others he may make are all the direct holders of the Bloodline, along with any I make.  Others can swear to the Bloodline and become a part of it.  Vampires who do so  take the blood of the head of the Bloodline and become part of that one instead of their own.  This can only happen with either Makers who become part of our line, and therefore all of their line is then ours, or with those who have been released by their own makers, either because of their Maker’s death or by being released as I was.”

He then asks Bella,“Following so far, a thaisce?” It is very important that she understand this portion since, as his mate, she is now his equal and so will be the head of the Bloodline along with him.  If she decides to walk the nights by his side, even though she technically would be his Childe, her status as his Mate would make them remain equals. He is not certain how this will work since he would be the first to turn their Mate in recorded history, but he is sure that it will.

Bella is thinking but she answers quietly, “Yes.”  She is following along and has tons of questions, but she remembers his warning at the beginning and wants nothing more than to learn of his history and hopes that he will explain what happened when she woke.

He nods and gathers his thoughts to continue telling her more about vampires and the information she will need.  “My Bloodline is one of the largest.  This is because during my lifespan I have helped a lot of different people and Kingdoms.  I have always refused the thrones offered, but the vampires who have taken those thrones often swore Blood fealty to me.  This was never asked for as it is considered sacrilege to the Blood to force someone to be sworn to it.  I also have other Supes that have sworn this Blood oath to me, and their descendants have renewed it voluntarily since I refuse to force anyone into that type of bondage.  I will get back to you later on why this is important for you to know.”

Raising his hand and stroking his fingers through her long chocolate hair, he sighs in contentment. However, he can still feel the confusion and continues his story so that she can tie it all together.

“My first Child, as you heard, is called Eric.  He is coming here with his progeny, Pam.  He is looking forward to meeting you, and I am hoping you can be at least friends with him.  If you can be more, I would be overjoyed. But I do have to warn you about some other things.  When a vampire is young, he is…hungry, and not just for food.  Sex, after many years, is often meaningless to us unless with a mate, or a beloved child.  Most vampires don’t pay any attention to the pulls to make children, and often quickly abandon the ones they do make. In fact, it is a common belief that a Maker and Child always part ways.  Eric and I are one of the exceptions to this.  And I freely admit we have been lovers in the past.  Because of my own upbringing, sex was not monogamous nor was it same-sex.  Eric was the same.  But he needed to be held back since sex and feeding are linked very closely for vampires.  So I was the one who satisfied that urge, rather than have him kill.  Later I turned a young woman with whom he was enamored, only to have the two of them fall apart not even decades later.  She never really loved him, only used him.  He too was using her, but I freed him of having to have a tie to her, so she wouldn’t haunt him.  He has thanked me.”

Looking down at her, he tells her softly, “I know this is a lot of information, but it is very important for you to know these things.  The reason I am here, a thaisce, is that I was on an errand for Eric, who is the Sheriff of Area 5 in Louisiana.Years ago, before Eric became Sheriff, he was an enforcer along with me.  He was asked by the King of the Californias to come investigate some murders that were making it into the newspapers.  Back then, that was a huge deal.  He did, and that is how he came across Pamela.  He used the authority given to him and arrested the two vampires, a Maker and her child, who were causing the problems, and gave them to our Council for judgment. The child of the Maker had already been given to the state of Louisiana’s Queen and is working off his debt.  The Maker, however, was sent to her own Maker.  She was asking for release, and not only Eric, but quite a few members of the Council, didn’t want her free to make mischief this close to the Revelation as we are coming out to the public by the end of the year.  They asked me as Sheriff of Area 9 in Texas, as Eric’s Maker and Head of his Bloodline, to come here and make our case against her freedom.  While on my way to Seattle, I came across a scent.  I pulled over and tracked the scent to find you laying on the ground.  I wrapped my coat around you, but before I could do much more, I was approached by someone.  Turns out, you have a new breed of Supes here.  But he is the one who realized what you were to me.  My treasure.  My one in a trillion chance of pure bliss.” At the end of this he turns his head to look her in the eyes.

She is looking at with such confusion, he tugs her tighter to him. “Bella, you are one of a very rare circumstance in my world.  I want you to think of all the people in the world, of how many are here right now.  And now think of how many people have been in the world since I was born, even since the world began, really.  The only way I could find you would be by catching your scent, by touching you, or if we were to just happen to look into each other’s eyes.  Now think about how hard it would be to find one specific person out of the group above.”

He looks down and lays his cards on the table to her. “You’re my Mate.  The proof?  When I touched you, it felt like lightning had struck me. That sensation flooded my whole body, which made me look you in the eyes.  And when your eyes met mine, I felt a click in my brain, in my entire being.  And just like that, we formed a Mating Bond.  You, yourself, and no one else, caused me to reopen my Bond with Eric.  You caused me to be rejuvenated in so many ways and to look forward to being alive.  Before you, I was depressed, working my way toward greeting the sun, which would have been my way of suiciding.  I was tired of life.  I was lonely.  But you, the possibility of you, made all that seem so very selfish.  And this is why Eric is looking forward to meeting you.  He wishes to meet the person who saved his brother, father and son from leaving him, and instead made us as close as we used to be before I started to withdraw.”

Bella is shaking her head.  She tells him with grief in her voice, “How can I be yours when I am already someone else’s?”

He looks her in the eye and asks simply, “If he had been your mate, could he have left you?  Because I promise you, I cannot, I will not, leave you.  I cannot even comprehend it.  I want to be here for you, be everything you need, everything you ever wanted or dreamed of.  I will be all and work to be more for you.  I give you all of myself to do with as you please.  Even if you request it, I cannot leave you.  I would stay out of your sight, but I would be here on the chance you will want to see me.  No matter how old you are, or if you are human or vampire.  If something ever happens to you, well, when I found you, I knew I was likely to greet the sun with Eric being the only reason not to.  But now that we are Bonded?  I would get revenge for you if needed, and then I would join you in your afterlife.  Because we will be together, our souls right now are one.  And I am so sorry that you have to carry the burden of my own tortured soul, but I will do everything to make it up to you, a thaisce.”  His voice breaks at the end, he is just hoping that she will give him this chance…

 Bella just stares into his eyes.  He quietly asks, “Do I not please you?  Is there something I can change for you?  Do you not want me?”  The grief in his voice is evident.

Gasping, Bella tells him, “No, you’re beautiful.  And your eyes…  But how could someone who has seen so much beauty in his lifetime ever want someone like me?  I am boring, and so, so plain!”

Turning and cradling her head in his hands, he tells her, “But I do want you, more than anything I wanted in my entire life.  To me you are perfect.  I have waited over 2,000 years for you, never thinking that I could be possibly so blessed.  Bella, how could I even dream you up?  Your beautiful deep brown eyes that remind me of the forests of my youth?  Hair the color of mahogany, a color that would have made you the envy of any person in my tribe.  This sweet face of yours, the plump bottom lip that I wish to kiss, a body of the very goddesses!  There is nothing of you that is plain.  And boring?  A thaisce, nothing that Eric and I have discovered in the short time we have frantically been searching for information about you has made me think that you are boring.  Smart, oh yes. You will be a joy to have conversations with.  Eric is looking forward to talking with you also.  You are a caregiver, something that I understand so well being one myself.  It is what caused my tribe to prosper underneath me, then Eric.  Lastly our Bloodline.  And I say ours, because everything I am or have is yours.  I lay it out at your feet and hope that you accept me.  Will you, a thaisce?  Will you accept me as your Mate and allow me to thank you for the privilege of being my angel, allow me the right to worship you as you only deserve?”

Bella is shaking her head no.  “Godric, I deserve none of this.  No one should worship me.  I don’t deserve this!”

And he smiles a sad smile, “You deserve all this and more.  Please accept me, Bella.  I am a man behind the vampire that needs you.  Please, please accept me.”

Staring into his eyes, Bella is lost.  She can see the pleading, the simple need he has for her to accept him and she realizes that he has told her everything so that she is aware of his past, of all of him.  He has told her of these things so that she knows what he is and what he has done so that there are no surprises.  And while she stares into his eyes, she realizes that the hole in her chest that Edward caused when he said those hateful words to her, is gone.  It was gone the second that she looked into Godric’s eyes.

He stares into her brown eyes, hoping that she will accept him, that she will allow him in her life.  But he lets her think.  She needs to make this decision, though he hates the necessity of dumping it all on her at once.  No matter what she decides, he will make sure she is healed and happy.

Bella’s head lowers as she thinks and finally, after the longest ten minutes in his life, a very soft “yes” escapes her lips.

 

 

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**Final count, 5,542 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	8. Glorious Sadness

 

# Glorious Sadness

**[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/beautiful-road-61.jpg) **

**Pre Edit Count -   6,239 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Angel_ by Sarah McLachlan

 

 

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_Previous:_

_A_ _nd he smiles a sad smile, “You deserve all this and more.  Please accept me, Bella.  I am a man behind the vampire that needs you.  Please, please accept me.”_

_Staring into his eyes, Bella is lost.  She can see the pleading, the simple need he has for her to accept him and she realizes that he has told her everything so that she is aware of his past, of all of him.  He has told her of these things so that she knows what he is and what he has done so that there are no surprises.  And while she stares into his eyes, she realizes that the hole in her chest that Edward caused when he said those hateful words to her, is gone.  It was gone the second that she looked into Godric’s eyes._

_He stares into her brown eyes, hoping that she will accept him, that she will allow him in her life.  But he lets her think.  She needs to make this decision, though he hates the necessity of dumping it all on her at once.  No matter what she decides, he will make sure she is healed and happy._

_Bella’s head lowers as she thinks and finally, after the longest ten minutes in his life, a very soft “yes” escapes her lips._

_Now:_

 

 

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In Forks, in an unassuming house, was a couple who had just been given a chance to make history.  The room itself revealed no signs of the morning that was trying to break outside; it is as dark as though it is still midnight.  However the emotions of the couple would have outshone the very sun.

In the bed with his mate, Godric cannot help himself as he hugs her to him, his lips pressed to the crown of her head as he whispers, “Thank you,” over and over again. He never thought he would get this chance.  Yes, he had hoped with all the strength in his body, but he just didn’t think he would hear her say yes.  Through the Bond he can feel Eric’s sharp query, then overwhelming happiness as Eric realizes what must have happened.

Bella is enveloped in Godric’s arms and can hear him thanking her, and she is amazed by how much it feels like home to be here.  She relaxes, well, as much as the ever present headache is letting her. This feeling, one she realizes she has never felt before, is simple comfort, trust.  A place deep inside of her, beyond the reach of her doubting heart and mind, knows that this man will never hurt her and is satisfied with her answer to him.  While the two of them have a long way to go, giving him this chance feels so unbelievably right.

Godric is still holding her, relishing the feel of his mate in his arms, knowing that he has a real chance of her being there for the rest of their lives.  Either as human, or, maybe, just maybe, as one like him? When Godric feels her wince at a bad stab of pain, he is broken out of his thoughts, looks down to his mate and lifts her head to look into her eyes.  He asks gently, “What is it, a thaisce”

Bella closes her eyes then tells him with a small smile, “Just a headache.  What is that name you call me?” it sounded so pretty when he says it, with the lilt of his accent flavoring every word he says.  Though it is obvious that he is  well-spoken in English, the accent is there, but hard to trace.  She wonders idly how many people tried to figure out where the accent comes from, not realizing it is from a dead language.

Godric thinks for a second, never anticipating that question, then he chuckles.  “A thaisce?”  At her nod, he tells her, “My treasure.  Which you are.” He is still looking down into her bottomless eyes, a slight smile lifting one corner of his mouth

She shakes her head, then winces from the movement.  The headache has been getting stronger.  Her body aches, but not like she is coming down from something, and she has no idea why.  There is just something wrong when your body hurts and you don’t know why…like the pain is somehow more manageable when you know _why_.

Looking down at her, Godric informs her, “I just have a little bit more to tell you, and then I need your story.  Again, I will tell you everything you wish, but day is already peeking out, and the room is locked against the light, which means you will be in here with me.  The Doctor will be in a little bit, once she thinks I am gone, and she will talk to you and tell you anything they have found out.  She will need some information so she can try to figure out what is going on with you.  I will let you know what she needs to know.  Just know this, you will never be alone.  I will be by your side, and you will be meeting the rest of the family tonight.  Well, the ones that you should trust.  I will tell you more about the other one later.” He smiles as he watches her relax back into his arms..

He kisses her on the head, and begins, “The biggest difference we know of between the Cold Ones and us is what we call the Turning, the transformation from human to vampire and the results from it.  Cold Ones burn for three days and wake with venom having replaced all their bodily fluids.  We, however, are drained of our blood and given our Maker’s, and are then placed in the ground for three days for the magic to take place.  This magic replicates the blood formed of a mix of the Maker’s and the new Child’s, thus creating the Maker/Child Bonds.  This causes the liquids in our bodies to turn to blood. We actually cry blood tears.  But the huge difference is that their venom will poison their victims, causing them to turn into similar beings, sometimes causing accidental turnings.  Our blood, however, is healing.  We can heal humans with it.  But there is always a chance that if the human is too injured and we give too much of our blood, that they can change.  But it is because they die of their injuries.” As always, he muses upon the reasons behind it.  Godric has his ideas, his curiosity being satisfied with the advances of medical science.

Bella murmurs, “They basically bleed out.” It’s the only solution that seems reasonable.  “The blood can heal the tear in the veins, but the blood would still be there in the wrong area.”

He smiles, pleased that she understood his thoughts and even came to the same conclusion.  “Exactly.  That is my thought.  We may not drain them, but the blood had to go somewhere, and too much blood in the wrong areas can kill a human.” He wishes he could send her his approval.  Instead he tries to show it physically and cannot wait until he can send her his emotions.  He plans to build her self-confidence, and is already working on it.

Holding his treasure to him, he says, “Also, there are things that can happen because of our blood.  We are magical.  It is very much part of us and no science has been able to figure out how we work.  When we rub blood on wounds it heals them.  End of story.  But if I give you some of mine, and with my age it could be as few as the couple of drops I gave you because I was worried about your being really sick, I would normally be able to sense your feelings and where you are if you are close by.  It would make you more sexually active in that you might dream of me sexually, and it would heal you.  Normally I would only sense your feelings if you were close by.  But, somehow, even when I was in Seattle, it felt like you were in the same room as me.  Eric could also feel you in the bond as an echo effect, and per a recent email, Pam felt you too.” Secretly the more he thought about it, the better it is.  He will always know where she is, not only by the Mating Bond, but in this way, too.  Magic can be tricky and the more ties he has with her, the harder it would be to block the two of them from feeling each other.

Bella shakes her head and mutters, “Figures I would be a freak in your world too.” She is a freak in Edward’s world, in her own world, and now in Godric’s world.  For once, she would like to be just like everyone else.

Frowning, Godric looks down at her and tells her, “It is not because you are a freak, a thaisce.  It is because of us being soul mates.  If Eric had given you blood, the effects would have been normal.  It’s nothing to be ashamed of.  And I wish to know more of why you think you are a freak, but first, there is a reason why I am telling you this, besides that I have already given you some of my blood.” Rubbing her arm, he is disturbed by her comment.  It is always better to different.  How would one want to be like everyone else?  Where is the individuality of a person?  What makes them, basically, them?  Deciding that he will address this later, he brings his mind back to their conversation, but smiles as he feels Eric sending him comfort.

He moves and looks down into his mate’s eyes to make sure she understands what he is telling her. “There is something sacred to my kind called a Blood Bond.  As my Mate, you are considered equal with me because of how rare they are.  However, they are so rare that most do not understand the idea.  But Blood Bondeds are also respected.  And while not as rare as mates, they are still rare.”.”

He takes a second to gather his thoughts to try to explain this to her.  He feels as though he only gets one chance at this, and really wants to Blood Bond with his Mate.  “See, it takes three exchanges of both of our bloods, and then we will be connected forever.  You will know where I am at all times, feel my feelings, and on top of that, we will be able to send each other our feelings.  The most crucial part of this, the last reason no vampire enters into them easily, is that if the Bonded is changed, by anyone, they will be the Bonded vampire’s Bonded Child.  That means that they will never be able to leave them.  For us, it changes nothing since, as mates, we will be bonded no matter what if you honor me in becoming like me.  If not, then when you die, and so will I.  I bring this up because Dr. Ludwig is worried.  She wants me to drink from you and find what is odd.  She also wants me to give you more blood.”

Then he chuckles at himself and informs her, “Well, that is incorrect, she hopes that I will give you my blood.  She is sworn to our line, so she would never suggest it.  It doesn’t matter really, because I want to Bond to you.  I want to heal you of the headache you have.  We think it is because of the Cold Ones, and that it will only get worse as time goes on.  I can feel the pain you are in now, and my instincts are driving me towards doing anything to heal you.  I personally want the exchange.  Since we are mates, it may enhance the effects.” He tucks a piece of her hair behind her ear gently, then looks her back in the eyes.  He wants this… his body aches for it.  The closeness the Bond will give them will only enhance their Mating Bond.

Bella shies away from him.  She cannot help it, the idea of blood causes that reaction in her.  But before he can say anything, she tells him shyly, “I get sick at the smell of blood.  But if you feel it’s necessary, that is fine.” Bella looks up at him through her eyelashes.  Personally she would love something to help her figure out the man beside her.  However, her mind and heart are again warring with her instincts and she is stuck in between the feelings.

Godric lifts her head back up so she can see him, how serious he is.  “A mhuirnin, ( _my dear_ ) never fear to tell me something.  Nor be embarrassed. I am your Mate.  I know this is new for you, and I apologize.  I had planned to romance you, to get you ready for our world in a statelier pace.  But, circumstances have prevented it.  You will still get my attention and I will give you the world for the gift of you saying yes to me.  However, you are too important to me not to want to make sure you have every chance in our world.  And it is now our world.  But think on it.  I am old, and can stay up later and rise earlier than most.  I will die for about 4 hours.  For now, please tell me about you. The information we gathered was in the interest of finding out what we could in a small amount of time, why you were out in the forest and not responding.  I want to know you and how you think.” His voice is soft and pleading.  He wants to know everything about this woman in his arms.  It wouldn’t matter if he could read her mind, since he would want her to say it in her voice, feeling the vibration of her body next to his as she speaks.  His lips lift in a smile when he realizes that he is a goner on her as they say these days.

Bella cannot get over his earnest honesty.  She leans against him, finding him warm, a perfect temperature, not cool like she would expect him to be knowing he is a vampire. Comfortable in his embrace, she would love nothing more than to sleep, but she can hear the urgency in his voice.  Knowing that this may help them, and make him see how ordinary she really is, she starts.

“I was born here in Forks.  My mother decided she couldn’t stay here and took me with her while my father was at work.  We went to live with her parents.  For a while, it was hard.  I missed my father.  When the divorce was finalized, my heart broke when my mother told me my father didn’t want me, didn’t even ask for me.  I was to visit him every summer, but I couldn’t take being in the house where I had thought he loved me.  So I asked him to meet me elsewhere.  He agreed and I spent my summers in different places.  It didn’t make a difference to me, as long as we weren’t here.  My mother also started to move around then.  She was born in the wrong time; she would have been a perfect hippy.  She would flutter from place to place, job to job, hobby to hobby.   She was an elementary school teacher which suited her personality, since she never had the attention span of an adult.  I learned pretty early on to make my own dinners since she would either forget while making them, or try something new that would end up inedible.  We didn’t have much money, so I would help out as I could.” Her voice was light, as though she was discussing nothing more than the weather instead of her life and how much she had worked, worried and struggled in that period of time to make the payments for them to live, to have water and electric, and sometimes to even eat.  She has taken on an adult’s worries at such a tender age,  but to her, someone who hadn’t known anything else, that is her life.  That is normal to her..

Godric is silent, glad for the first time since he has initialized the Mate Bond that there is no blood bond yet, because inside he is seething.  Bella is dismissing how her mother had treated her, making it sound like it was no big deal.  He will visit this later.  Right now it was more important to find out about the Cold Ones.  But he did note how she told her story, since it will be him and his Bloodline who will need to show her that she is more than ever imagined.  They will fix her, and never allow herself to think she is worthless.  Never again.

Bella is lost in the memories, and tears come to her eyes as she discloses to Godric, “My mother used to date a lot, but she finally fell in love with a guy named Phil Dwyer.  He plays baseball for a farm team, and he loves my mother so much.  When they got married it was nice.  He loved to dote on my mother, take care of her.  When he left for spring training, she was depressed.  She tried to hide it, but I could see how much she was sacrificing to stay with me instead of being with her husband.  So I called Charlie and asked if I could come here and finish school.  He agreed and my mom was ecstatic.” The sadness is evident in her voice.  That she gave up her life to come somewhere she believed she was unloved, unwanted, for her mother.  To her, it was the sacrifice needed, since her mother didn’t need her, and didn’t want her anymore.  She would bow out gracefully and go elsewhere.

Eric sends calm to him, and he is thankful, because otherwise he would be growling.  Her mother made her feel so guilty that Bella decided to come here, to a place she thought she was unloved?  Oh, he will be getting some answers.  Then he had an evil thought, one that made his sadistic side rub its hands together in glee.  He will ask Eric to get the answers.  It will help his Son with his anger issues. And Eric will be having anger problems when he hears this.  Or reads it, actually.  While Godric had children, he had never held them or knew them.  It was the way of the tribe, that all children were raised together.  He never knew his father and had very few memories of his mother.

But Eric?  Eric remembers his children fondly.  Godric had broken with rules, and had taken Eric to see his family.  They had not gone into the village, but he all too well remembers Eric’s blood tears as he heard his family crying his loss.  Even Eric’s thralls had been upset.  He had been a good and fair ruler to all.  And even though he never loved his wife, he had loved his children.

Over time, Eric and Godric had managed to keep track of Eric’s children and send them money.  When Eric could, he bought his native land and had managed to have his descendants still live there, making sure they will always have that at least.  It was part of the reason Eric is eager for the Revelation, he will be able to openly approach them.

Godric smirks.  He has managed to keep Eric’s descendants aware of who Eric is, and Eric will be in for a huge shock to find out that his family reveres him and have all through the ages.  It is his little gift to his Son for being so loyal to him for so long.  It was also to make sure the person who killed Eric’s family never finished the job.  It would be a shame for Eric’s line to pass from this world. As it is, Eric had lost a sister he has grieved more than even his parents.  As Eric told him, he had been so entranced with her, looking forward to being her older brother, that the sight of her dead body lying there beside his mother had almost broken him.  That sight, along with the death of his father and his oath of vengeance, had been the motivation for Eric to grow up.

Bella hadn’t known of Godric’s thoughts, but had taken the time to put her own thoughts in order. She is calmer, her voice even as she recites the next part, “By the time I moved here, I had never dated.  Nobody thought I was worth it, but then, a lot of the boys in Phoenix seemed so immature to me.  So I kept my head down and worked on trying to get good enough grades for college.  When I came here, I knew I would be hampering myself on getting scholarships, but it was worth my Mom’s happiness.  Imagine my shock that when I got here, everyone paid attention to me.  It was as Jessica had put it, ‘You’re the new shiny toy.’” Jessica had told her this that day in the cafeteria when she was mystified by all the boys joking around with her.

She chuckles wryly. “I was having problems with everyone paying attention to me.  But then imagine my shock when the cafeteria doors open to let in these people who could pass as supermodels.  I asked who they were, and was told how they were the Cullens, that they were all adopted.  All of them were matched up but for one.  I learned their names and who they were with as they entered the room.  Rosalie the beauty queen entered with her husband Emmett, who looked like a muscle builder.  Then Alice danced in with Jasper.  Lastly was Edward, the single one of the group.  I couldn’t help but stare at them.  I had never seen anyone like them.  They didn’t eat, which caught my attention.  I could understand all but Emmett.  He was just too big to skip lunch.” She shook her head at her thoughts back then.  But who would have guessed that they were vamp- Cold Ones.  She needs to remember the new name.

Then her face clouds as her voice drops with the pain of the first meeting with Edward.  “After that was Biology.  I was walked there by one of my new adoring fans, Mike Newton…who still calls me Arizona.”  Her lips lift up in a small smile, but her voice is still full of pain. “He helped me through the halls and we walked in last to the class. I gave my slip to be signed, and was told the only desk free was with Mr. Cullen.  I looked and it was Edward.  I went to sit, and he acted like I was the worst thing he ever smelled.  The entire class was spent with him trying not to touch me and acting like I was a pariah.  When class was over, he was gone faster than I could track.  After school, I went to the office to turn in my slip, and he was there trying to get his class changed.  It was obvious that is was because of me.  I was hurt but tried to brush it off.  He was gone for the next two weeks.”

Feeling his arms around her, she couldn’t help but snuggle closer to him, which he not only allowed, but encouraged.  He kisses the top of her head and rests his head on hers as he waits for her to tell him more.  He has never heard of a reaction like Edward’s to her, and in fact he finds her scent comforting.  It had a faint scent of flowers, but for some reason it just reminded him of summer in his homeland. How could anyone find it that offensive?

When she can, she continues the tale, “My dad had bought me a truck when I moved here.  Two weeks after that incident, he reappeared and acted like nothing had happened on our first meeting.  And he was actually civil to me and talked to me.  But if I tried to be too friendly, he would tell me that we shouldn’t be friends and walk away.  But he would keep popping up at different times and asking me questions.”  Her voice trails off as she realizes what Edward was doing.  He was intriguing her, and she now is having a hard time believing he didn’t do it on purpose.

With this revelation, she enlightens Godric on the day that solidified her curiosity and need to know what Edward was. “One day, I was at my truck getting ready to leave when this van comes whipping through the parking lot.  Tyler’s mom’s van had lost its brakes and was skidding on the ice.  It was heading directly towards me and I had been staring at Edward who was by his car, staring at me.  All of a sudden he was there, stopping the van from crashing into me.  I was sent to the emergency room, and Edward’s father ended up taking care of me.  By now, I had started to stack up a list of odd things about them.  Edward had the oddest color of eyes, but they would change color and turn black sometimes.  His skin was pale, paler than most. He and his family were never in school on sunny days, not that there many of those.  Now I had super strength and speed to add to the lot.  Then seeing his father, his adopted father, having a lot of the same features, along with the rest of the family, I was getting more curious.”  Her voice hardens as her memory also supplies who was with Edward.  Alice.  Alice who, as long as it was not a last minute decision, could see the future.  Who would have seen the accident, and Edward would have seen it  as he read her mind.  Her hands tighten on Godric’s as she trembles with the anger coursing through her.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/edward-and-alice.png)

Godric gathers her to him, his hand stroking her long hair as he waits for her to tell him why she is so angry.  The feeling came so suddenly, he almost growled and had moved enough that he could defend her.  Then comes the realization that she must have understood something, grasped something that made her so angry.  So he waits for her to explain.

Bella is rigid in his arms, her eyes dark as she struggles to understand the weight of the betrayal going through her.  Her voice remote, she told him as this new betrayal is turning in her mind so she can grasp it, “I went one night with two of the girls from school, Jessica and Angela, to Port Angeles.  They were looking for a dress for a school dance, one I wasn’t going to.  I made a plan to meet them after I went to a bookstore I had found online that was listed as having some books about some of the legends that sounded familiar to me.  On my way back, I got lost and a group of guys started to follow me.  I was scared but right when they caught me, Edward appeared in his car out of nowhere and scared them away.  He took me to dinner, but never ate.  He told me he could read minds, but not mine.  On the way home, we touched and I found him to be ice cold.”  Unknown to her, she shudders.

Nudging a blanket on the end of her bed with his foot, he pulls it up and covers her with it.  It was not a planned thing, just him reacting to his mate.  He gave it no further thought, but the woman in his arms did. It was the first time someone had done it.  Edward had, but he made it seem like he making a big deal in allowing for her human weakness.  Godric did it because she was cold and even now was waiting for her to continue.  It gave her something to think about, a light at the end of the tunnel that she is finding for herself.  How could she not see this before?

“The following weekend, he kept coming and asking me questions, and telling me shouldn’t be friends.  I was determined to find out what he is.  The more he pushed me away the more determined I was to figure it out.  I was invited to La Push, the reservation that my Aunt had lived on, and where Billy and his son Jacob lived.  The kids from school were going to the beach for a bonfire.  I asked Edward if he was going, and he said he was not welcomed.  When we went, it ended up raining.  While we waited for the rain to quit, some of the kids from the reservation came and talked with us.  When Edward was brought up, the group got quiet and one of them told us the Cullens were not allowed on their lands.  The way he said it made shivers go up my spine.  When the rain stopped, I got Jacob, who had been with them, to go with me.”

She shyly smiles, embarrassed at her first attempt at flirting, “I flirted with him, and got him to tell me the legends of their people, which is where I remembered the tales from.  I left and that night was reading the book and some research online made it obvious to me that they were vampires.  I confronted Edward with it the following day after school. At first he was sly, when I asked how old he was.  He admitted that he was 17, but when I said for how long, well, that was when he owned up to it, and told me that I was what they called a singer.  I ‘sang’ to his senses as the perfect blood.  Singers are rare, and when found by the vampire they sang to, always killed and drained.  I was the first time that the vampire managed to control themselves.  Edward tried to scare me, but then kissed me, telling me that he was falling in love with me.  He told me that everything about them drew us to them, their looks, their voice, their smell.  I remember thinking that his breathe was always sweet to me.  On the way back, he told me many of their secrets, that they sparkle and about the venom.  From that time we were always together.  I found out that he had been sneaking in here to watch me sleep to accustom himself to my scent. He would test himself by kissing me, which often lead to him pulling away from me.  He would constantly tell me I was fragile, and he had to be careful with me.  Pulling away when we did anything but the most chaste of kisses, holding me, but never allowing us to mess around.”  Her voice was gaining momentum as she thinks over the things he did.  Invading her bedroom at night…  How did she ever think it was romantic?

He knows he will ask more questions later as he feels her being upset, but for now he wants her to get through this. The anger is still there; in fact, it is growing. There is more, probably whatever happened in Phoenix, but he is getting a bad feeling of how she and her father were hooked on the Cold Ones.  If his breathe was sweet and their smell was designed to draw them in, then this could be the carrier.  And unfortunately, it did little to support the theory that there is a cure.

Bella continues, her eyes haunted as she remembers the worst days in her young life up to now.  Even her underlying anger is dimmed.  “He decided to take me to meet his family.  They wanted to meet me and play baseball.  Edward came in to meet my father, and then whisked me away to his house.  It was beautiful, but kinda cold.  It was decorated in shades of white, and windows were everywhere.  It was hidden in the middle of the forest, and as Edward mentioned, they could be themselves there.  His family was cooking me dinner, which since I knew they couldn’t eat, I had eaten before.  I hadn’t wanted to ruin their efforts, but Edward mentioned it.  Rosalie through a fit, and admitted she never wanted me to be there, that I was going to ruin everything.  I met the rest of the family, only Jasper was distant towards me, but that was because neither Alice nor Edward would allow him near saying that he had no control.  But that night, I found out there was a storm coming.  They needed it to hide the sounds of them playing baseball.  It was fun, I saw them all relax, and Jasper was teasing me when Alice and Edward weren’t around.” She smiles as she remembers the one Cullen she enjoyed being around truly.  He never did anything to her, well not until the other night, but she had a thought about why that happened.

Then her voice drops, “And then came the nomads.  Three vampires that had been hunting in the area.  Alice said that they changed their minds and came.  See Jasper could sense and change emotions.  Alice could see the future and Edward could read all minds but mine.  But the shortcomings of each gift were there.  Jasper felt everything, and I figure he even felt their bloodlust.  Edward could only read surface thoughts, never the deeper ones, and Alice could be fooled by last minute decisions or the people changing their minds.  Only things like weather and stock exchanges are anywhere near guaranteed.  But these nomads heard them playing and decided to come see them. The Cullens surrounded me, and Edward had me drop my hair and use my hat to cover my eyes.”  Her voice was hardening especially when she mentions their talents…

Godric could barely stop himself from asking what the boy had been thinking. Though Godric was around the same age physically, he was more mature than the boy.  There was no doubt about it.

Getting her emotions under control, for though she is no stranger to pain since no one who is as clumsy as she is could be, the next part was not just emotionally hard, but physically difficult as well.  Her body and especially the scar and her leg ping every time she relives it.

Closing her eyes, she starts, “At first the confrontation went well, and Carlisle, the leader of the family, had managed to catch their attention and give a reason for Edward and me to leave.  When we turned to leave, a gust of wind came up and blew my scent to the tracker.  He snarled and tried to attack me, but the Cullens were there defending me.  Edward rushed me to the house with Emmett, and we came up with a plan.  I was to lie to my father and tell him I no longer wanted to be here, so that the tracker wouldn’t hurt him.  I did this and Alice and Jasper took me to Phoenix.  We stayed at a hotel by the airport, while the rest of the Cullens tried to set up a trap for the Tracker.  One member of his coven told Carlisle about them in exchange for his freedom and he left for their cousins in Alaska.  While we were in Phoenix, after a couple of days, Alice fell into a trance and they found out that the Tracker was on his way.  I recognized the place she drew as my old ballerina studio.  I honestly was scared and worried.  Jasper stopped me on the way to my room and asked if I would like some help sleeping that night.  I agreed, but asked why he was risking himself and Alice for me, and he looked into my eyes and told me something that was completely surprising.  He told me I was worth it.”  She remembers the awe she had felt when this man, who had seen things she probably couldn’t even imagine, told her, a lowly, normal plain Jane, that she was worth the chance that they might get hurt.

A tear fell from her eye, and fell on Godric’s sleeve.  He did nothing but hold her close, and give her a kiss, hoping that she finds some comfort in his arms. His hand was still stroking her hair, he could feel the comfort it gave her.  He would do it until the end of time if it helped.

She continues, her voice getting an edge from her anger which she allowed to help her get through the next part, “That night was the last peace I found for a long time.  The following day, Edward called to say that they lost the Tracker, which we already guessed.  They were flying in and Edward was to take me elsewhere until they could kill him.  But when I went into the room, my phone rang.  It was my house phone in Phoenix. I answered and it was him, the Tracker, James.  He told me to act like it was my mom, and told me that he had her.  Her voice was calling for me in the background and I believed him.  I followed his instructions and ran from Jasper in the airport.  I knew there was another exit in the bathroom for the other side of the airport.  From there, I got a cab and went to the Studio.”

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/james.png)

She remembered the fear she felt as he had looked her up and down and the sudden realization that there are worse things out there than dying.  But it was too late.  She never told anyone how terrified she was as he had come on to her, how close she thought she had been to rape.  And how she could never stop him.  That was the terrifying part…knowing that there was nothing she could have done to stop it.  So instead she tried to make him angry, so angry he wouldn’t think of it.  “To make a long story short, he didn’t have my mom.  He had a tape of her he got from my house and had it playing to fool me.  He taped our meeting, my torture session.  He threw me around the studio, into the mirrors.  He wanted me to beg for Edward to get revenge for me.  I refused since I didn’t want anyone else to die.  He broke my thigh bone…it broke through my skin.  That is when Edward came in.  They fought, and James got away long enough to bite me.  He also interfered one time when Edward had me in his arms to get away, and threw me into another mirror, causing the mirror to break into my skin and a piece of it pierced my femoral artery.” Her voice was so monotone, so matter of fact, even her anger failed her as she relived the experience in her mind again.  Everything dropped away, the room, Godric’s body and arms, nothing mattered as she remembers..

Fury is ripping through Godric and even Eric couldn’t help.  He pulls Bella close  as he holds her in the safety of his arms.  He is growling, but is doing it lowly.  He is greedily inhaling her scent and using it to calm himself.  When she started to say something, he stops her with one finger on her lips. “A thaisce, allow me a moment please.  I know you survived, but that you had to go through this!! Just give me some time.  Tomorrow, when we are not racing the sun, I will speak with you and Eric about this.  I promise you, mo anam cara.” His eyes are dark as he looks into hers.  This along with her own anger, then the paralyzing fear before she started combined with the feeling of nothing as she is overwhelmed at the end is provoking his instincts.  His instinct is to protect his mate.  His rational mind analyses the situation, and finds that she is ok, but he still wishes to tear into something.

Bella just stares into his eyes, then her eyes drop down and widen as she realizes not only that he has fangs, but they are showing.  She raises a finger and hesitantly touches them.  That actually stops Godric mid-growl, and he closes his eyes with pleasure from the simple touch.  His eyes open as he smirks and kisses her finger. Her eyes open wide and he stares into them.  He doesn’t bother to withdrawal his fangs, since it seems to fascinate her.

Bella calmly asks, “Better?”  At his nod, she smiles.  She is still fascinated by those fangs, but she is trying to control herself since his reaction was so conflicting to what he was doing before…

While still watching those fangs with awe, she carries on with the story, “When I thought it was over, Jasper, Emmett and Alice explode into the room.  Carlisle is somehow beside Edward just when Edward had James.  After that point, the pain is too much for me.  Not only was I beginning to feel cold, I had a burning that is still indescribable making its way up my arm.  Next thing I know, Carlisle is applying a tourniquet to my leg, and Edward is sucking the venom out.  I felt every millimeter as he withdrew it.  It was so painful…  I blacked out right after I heard Carlisle tell Edward it was enough.  I woke up in the hospital in Phoenix.  My parents had been told I fell through a window; Alice had broken to make it look feasible.  I ended up going home in a cast, and even though I was in pain, Alice forced me to go to Prom, saying it was a human experience that I shouldn’t miss.  She accomplished this by basically living at my house to help with showers and such.”  The resentment was plain in her voice.  To this day, she cannot understand why she was forced to do something that she would never have wanted to do on her own.  If she did regret it later, wasn’t it her right to do so?

Trying to shake the thoughts off, she resumes the story.  “The rest of the summer was better as we spent every day together.  This lasted until just a couple of nights ago.  It was my eighteenth birthday, and, no matter how much I protested, Alice threw me a party.  Only the Cullens were there, but she had gotten this large cake for some reason.  I was unhappy there, and while opening gifts, I got a paper cut.  From there, everything happened too fast for me to remember clearly.  But what I can remember is black eyes from Edward, then Jasper trying to get to me.  For some reason Edward threw me into the glass table that held the cake and the crystal plates.  Needless to say I was hurt and when I could see again, Jasper was in the remains of Edward’s precious piano and being pulled out of the room by Rosalie and Emmett, and Carlisle was by my side holding the gash closed.  He took me to his study and sewed up the wound since he was a surgeon and didn’t have bloodlust.  Edward took me home, but he was acting odd.  The rest of the Cullens didn’t show up at school and then, last night.”  She stops.

He waits patiently as he senses her great pain, but he also senses that underlying anger.  He is very interested in what is causing his Mate such anger since he didn’t think she is the type to hold in something like this.

“Yesterday he met me at my house.  He told me we needed to talk.  He took me in the woods that he had told me to never be in alone, and proceeded to tell me that they were leaving.  When I begged him to take me with him, he told me I was a distraction, that no one like him would love someone like me.  He told me I would forget him soon enough, that my memories are a sieve.  He asked me to be safe for Charlie’s sake, and after he tore me down, he left me there.  I tried to follow him, but fell.  That is the last thing I remember until I felt that lightning strike you described to me.”  The defeat is obvious in her voice at the memory of his words; even her anger is not enough to negate their crushing effect.  Nothing could have been more calculated to destroy her.

Godric sighs as he nuzzles her.  “Never again, a thaisce.  Never again will you feel unworthy, unloved, or torn down again.  I will kill for you, I will defend you, and most importantly, I will live for you.  I will be here for you, through thick and thin, through everything that will come; you will never face anything by yourself, I will be at your side for the rest of our lives.  Jasper was more than right, you are more than worth it.” And nothing he has ever said been more true.  This woman in his arms deserves none of this.  She deserves to be loved, to be treasured for the strength of her heart, for her will in making sure others are happy before her.  He alone would fight against the world for her, but knowing his son, his brother, he would be at his side all the way.  Women such as Bella are few in each generation and they deserve to have the world at their feet, for they would refuse it and make do with little.

Bella cries in his arms.  She feels safe, and feels that he is telling her the truth.  He holds her to him but doesn’t stop her from crying as he knows that it will help lance the wound in her heart.  She deserves nothing less.  He stares out the window, knowing the sun had risen, but there is nothing but blackness.  He thinks about his plans for the next few days, about how he will discover all he can about these Cold Ones.  He will find them, and they will pay for the pain they have caused his Mate.

He looks down and when she is able to speak, asks her softly, “Why so angry, a thaisce?  I’ve felt your anger for so long.”

She looks up into his face, and the reminder is enough to harden her eyes.  “Godric…can I bounce an idea off you?”

He smiles, and raises one hand to her face and caresses it.  “Of course.”

She glances down and chewing on her lower lip, she thinks of how to say this.

He smiles at the habit, and moves his hand to pull that lip out. “Just tell me.  I will listen through it all.  Don’t worry about how it sounds.”

She looks up at him, her eyelashes still wet from her tears.  With a small smirk, she tells him, “Remember when I told you earlier about Edward and Alice’s abilities?” When he nods, his eyes trained on her face, she continues, “Well, when I was thinking about the van I remembered that Alice was right there beside Edward.  And the van wasn’t a last minute decision,  Tyler was driving to school like he does each day.  So if it wasn’t a last minute decision, Alice should have seen it.  And Edward would have seen it in her head.”

He stiffens as he catches on to what he think her thoughts are.

She continues, hoping he doesn’t think she’s off her rocker, “And the appearing and disappearing around me, making me unable to just let it go, especially not with his subtle questions and how he would randomly appear and ask me things.  Then there’s how he kept showing up and saving me.  There is no way Alice would not seen those attempts, nor miss me figuring out that they are vampires.  Why did they allow all that?  Why did she not prevent the birthday accident?  It was not a last minute decision.  And why have so many damn glass plates and so much cake?”

Her eyes are beseeching him to tell her she is not imagining it.  Her anger is there and obvious with the way the questions tumbled from her lips so fast.

Godric took the time necessary to bring his anger under control and ponder all her questions.  Finally he admits to her, “I think you are right.  Under the explanation you gave for Alice’s ability, those questions are very valid, as are your speculations that he was encouraging your interest.  I cannot think of another reason for his actions.  However, if you wish for another opinion, we can talk it over with Eric when he comes.  His is the best mind for seeing plots besides my own.  And I will admit I am somewhat biased when it comes to you.  I do not like how this boy strung you along.  I do not approve of his method of trying to hide your scent.  Hair carries the scent more strongly even than your exposed neck.  To have you pull your hair down will actually help entice the tracker.  Nor do I like how he handled the situation.  I can understand him wanting to fight the tracker but there were three others in his nest.  One was somewhat accounted for, but how do you know if he truly left the area?  And what about the third one?  I am not feeling easy about them running around free.   I will look into finding them personally.  Your safety is paramount to me.  If this Edward loved you even a small portion, he too would have made sure that the nest is gone.”

He shakes his head.  Looking down at her, he tells her more softly, “No, a stór ( _my darling_ ).  I think your anger is justified.  And we will have much to discuss this evening.  I am not easy with us staying here, but I will abide by your wishes.”

Bella buries her head in his chest, and he can feel her fear from his statements.  He hates to scare her, but he will only tell her the truth.  She can handle it, she is strong.  Kissing her on her head, he states to her, “A thaisce, I will only tell you the truth.  I do not wish to frighten you, but I will not hide the situation as I see it.  This is what equals do, is it not?  Share their thoughts?  I will protect you, as I promised.  But I will not lie and tell you it is easy here.  But for tonight, there is no need for your fear.  We are protected.”  He then softly asks, “Will you rest with me?  The sun has been up for a couple of hours, and I am feeling the need to rest.” He smiles at her as he asks.

Bella nods, and he smiles.  “Before we fall asleep, will you grant me a boon, a mhuirnin?” He hopes she is not freaked out by it, and with her theories just now, he really needs to talk to Eric.

“Of course,” she answers with a sharp chuckle.  This man who listened to her so patiently, then explained what he was thinking, not holding anything back, could ask her anything.  She has never had someone do that.

Quickly discarding the tie and toeing off his shoes, he pulls her into his arms as they lay under the blankets.  He tells her softly in her ear, “I wish to send a message to have Eric put in here when he arrives today.  I will wake before him, but I would like the three of us to talk.  I would also like to send an email from my phone with a brief synopsis to Eric to read before he dies, so he can speak with us when he rises.”

Bella sighs, a very weary sound.  “If you think that is best.” She doesn’t want  to go through the conversation again, and she doesn’t want too many people to know how naïve she had been, either.

Godric lifts himself up and looks down at her, “A thaisce, if you do not want him here, I will not have him here.  It is your decision and one we can work with either way.  I am just eager for the two of you to meet. But Eric can wait downstairs until sundown.  Just tell me your wishes and I will make them happen.” He is pushing her, but she needs to understand that they are to make decisions together.

Looking at the sincerity in his eyes, she smiles.  “He can be here.”  Then she yawns and winces.  Godric notes the pain is getting worse.  But before he can say anything, she shyly looks up and asks, “If you don’t mind, can we do that exchange you asked for?  I mean, if you still want to.  I…“

Godric stops her with a light kiss on her lips.  He smiles down as he tells her, “Of course I want you.  Sit up, and lean against me.  I will bite my wrist and you need to drink until it closes.  Do not be afraid, you cannot take too much, a thaisce.” He cannot hide the joy in his voice, nor the happiness in his face as he is granted one of his deepest wishes.

She did as he asked, and when he presented the bloody wrist to her, she takes a deep breath and hesitantly latches on.  Then the taste of Godric exploded on her taste buds.  He tastes of dark chocolate and a hint of sweetness, like honey.  She couldn’t get enough of it. She is so enthralled by it she never notices when Godric’s fangs gently pierce her neck, she only feels when he pulls from her and cannot help the moan that escapes.

Godric’s eyes roll back as he feels her pulling from him.  He smiles, as he can feel his blood inside his mate, and he prepares her neck and gently bites her.  The taste of her is unique.  She tastes to him like the honeysuckle he used to suck on as a child along with the taste of the sweet berries in the brambles that he used to gorge upon.   Nothing could ever match her flavor to him for the rest of their existence, nor did he care to find anything that could.

They both felt it when the Bond between them strengthened and wove throughout their minds and souls.  Neither are aware of how long they fed on each other, but Godric is the first to pull away.  He nicked his tongue and laps at her neck, trying to make sure that he didn’t miss any of her blood.  He rests his head on her shoulder as he reassessed his surroundings.

He had never bonded to a human.  In fact, besides the ones who swore to his bloodline and received even fewer drops of his blood than he gave Bella in the forest, the only ones who had shared his blood like this were Eric and Nora.  However, he highly suspected that their connection would not be the same.  It already felt deeper, much like a second or third bond.  But he wants more…he will not be satisfied until she is his, until he is fully Blood Bonded to her.  No one will ever taste her blood if he can help it – it is _his_.

Bella went limp in his arms, but before he could get worried, he searches the bond and finds her weariness.  He also could feel his blood working its way through her, healing her in a way he had never heard of before.  He now knows every scar, every break in her bones.  He could tell you that she has had her appendix removed and that it was growing back.  He could feel it as it found much more wrong in her head and was attempting to heal her, but whatever it is, was fighting his blood.  His was winning, but he was worried; it seems like it is a temporary fix.  He also felt the second it hit the scar on her arm from the Tracker and Edward.  He hissed in pain along with her.

Easing her down, and fighting the urge to lay with her and just hold her until he succumbed to his death, he instead grabs his phone and sends his emails.

He barely laid down and gathered her into his arms before death stole him away for the day. But he had never been so happy in that death than at this moment, knowing he will wake with his other half of his soul in his arms.

 

 

* * *

**Final count:  9,565 words**.

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	9. Pick Yourself Up

# Pick Yourself Up

**[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/366473.jpg) **

**Pre Edit Count -   3,069 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Missing Persons 1 & 2 _by OneRepublic

 

 

* * *

_Previous:_

_Bella went limp in his arms, but before he could get worried, he searches the bond and finds her weariness.  He also could feel his blood working its way through her, healing her in a way he had never heard of before.  He now knows every scar, every break in her bones.  He could tell you that she has had her appendix removed and that it was growing back.  He could feel it as it found much more wrong in her head and was attempting to heal her, but whatever it is, was fighting his blood.  His was winning, but he was worried; it seems like it is a temporary fix.  He also felt the second it hit the scar on her arm from the Tracker and Edward.  He hissed in pain along with her._

_Easing her down, and fighting the urge to lay with her and just hold her until he succumbed to his death, he instead grabs his phone and sends his emails._

_He barely laid down and gathered her into his arms before death stole him away for the day. But he had never been so happy in that death than at this moment, knowing he will wake with his other half of his soul in his arms._

_Now:_

 

 

* * *

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/ludwig-1.jpg)

That morning Ludwig is still checking Charlie out as she tries to discover what is wrong with either of the Swans, but she finds very little if anything wrong with him that isn’t directly attributable to his lifestyle.  Honestly, she wishes she could find either nothing, or a big something.  This man deserves to suffer for how he treats his daughter.

Suddenly the quiet is broken by the buzz of her phone and Ludwig pauses in her examination to look down at it and sees the message from Godric.  ‘ _Exchanged blood.  There is something wrong, I can feel my blood moving through her and healing everything, every broken bone, every scar, even her appendix.  But the Cold One’s bite is fighting the healing and burning us both.  And something is wrong in her head, something is fighting back against my blood healing her completely.  My blood is winning, but nothing should be fighting me.  Need Eric to be put in here.  We will have plenty to discuss.  If we finish earlier, I will let you come in. Otherwise, please wait.’_ He was straight and to the point as normal.   She cannot wait to see his bonded up and awake.

She smiles, happy that the two of them are on their way to being Bonded, then she turns her attention to the man before her.  With Godric’s information, she now has a better idea of what has happened and where to look, although she does suspect that it wouldn’t take much to change his mind.  Ludwig sighs as she does her work up; she really cannot wait until Godric decides what he’s going to do with his mate.  Being here cannot be good for her. She is soon brought out of her thoughts by the voice of the man she is examining.

Thinking over everything that everyone had talked about earlier that night, he cannot help but wonder why Godric’s Child would be something that he should be afraid of.  Why?  Charlie had done nothing to him, and, more importantly, wouldn’t it be more imperative to be on his good side if his Father wants to take Bella away? Finally getting to where he couldn’t stop the questions, Charlie looks down at the woman and he asks, “How bad is this Eric and why do you think he is going to scare me?”  He just can’t think why Godric’s Child would scare him.  How scary can he be, really?  Godric is basically a child himself.

Ludwig, just about to start taking his blood pressure, stops and looks incredulously into his eyes. “What do you think Eric is like?” She knows of no one who is not intimidated by the Viking when he walks in the room, much less when he has a problem with someone.  Eric is just menacing, but hopefully he won’t be to Godric’s Mate.  Godric loves him, and would hate to have the two of them at odds.  She isn’t worried about Godric, though.  If Eric ever has a mate she fears for the outcome with Pam.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/charlie-8.png)

Not finding anything that he thinks he should be frightened about, Charlie snorts, “Does it matter?  He is Godric’s child and Godric wishes to be on my good side if he wants a chance with my daughter.” His voice is slightly scorning.  The more he thinks about it, the more he figures Godric can’t do anything.  Bella is his daughter, and she will listen to him and what he says.

Ludwig just stares at the man in front of her – she cannot truly comprehend him.  He is a small town man and refuses think about what he has been told, about how the world is much bigger than he ever imagined.  Instead of considering how to work with it, or even take advantage of the information, no, he instead ducks his head down and ignores it.  He is actively searching for a reason that he thinks will keep Bella here and about how he thinks she will keep him safe.  She smirks as she gets back to work. “Aren’t you in for a big surprise? Now be quiet.  I need to see how many of your symptoms match your daughters or if you might be dying also.” She drops the bombshell hoping that it may make him realize this is not the time to be selfish, but she suspects that it is too late.

Charlie jerks and demands, “Dying?  Bella is dying?” This makes his mind go completely blank.  Bella is dying?  Then his mind kicks into gear.  No, this has got to be a story to make him give Bella to them.  She must be worth a lot for them to make those types of claims.  Yes, this is a lie so he will give her up without a fight.  He will fight for her, he needs her here.  What would the voters think?

Shaking her head as she records the numbers, she tells him, “You will want to cut back on the cholesterol if you want to live long.” Ludwig had seen the emotions playing across his face and knew it was a lost cause.  The only thing left is the enjoyment of seeing Eric being let loose on him, and how just badly this man will hurt his daughter before she leaves.  He has no idea of the power of a Mate Bond.

Getting mad, he tries to grab her, but instead she grabs his hand and bends it back like it’s nothing.  “I suggest you might want to learn some manners before tonight.  It will be a large shock for you if you don’t.” She releases his hand and goes back to what she was doing.  Internally, though, she is chuckling in glee.  There should be seats sold for this upcoming encounter.  No man has ever deserved a dressing down by Eric more than the one in front of her.

He glares at her, and is seething inside as she continues his checkup.   When she finishes, she tells him, “I’ll be back later to allow Alcide to put Eric in the room.  Then I will be back for the fireworks.  This is something I wouldn’t miss for anything.”  She chuckles, “Eric…a child.  This will be a hoot!”  She then disappears right in front of him.  She is hoping that with her instructions on his behavior he might have a chance to live past this, but she gleefully imagines how Bella’s dense father is going to get his “come to Jesus” moment…

Sitting there in his chair, Charlie starts glaring upstairs, wondering when Godric will be coming down from Bella’s room.  After he realizes that the sun is rising, he heads up there only to find the door has no handle on it.  “Hell no is that bloodsucker staying in my daughter’s room!”  At that point, Charlie loses it.

Intent on getting in, he throws himself at the door, only to be thrown back.  He grunts with the impact against the floor, and growls.  He sets to work on getting into the room.  Bella is his and he will not be letting her go with a kid no older than she is!

 

 

* * *

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Alcide sighs as he signs the forms for the two coffins along with the other things they had shipped by private jet.  He knows that Godric normally has his own jet, but with Eric coming along there wasn’t time to get it.  Eric being himself, he will not trust himself or his progeny to regular airlines, especially with the risks since 9/11 and all rules they’re putting in place for scanning luggage.  It would not work for the secret about Vampires to get out early just because they got lazy.  There was an airline restricted to only Vampires , but Eric doesn’t trust them when he can have a private plane instead.

Neither bothers Alcide.  When it is a private plane like this, they actually treat him better than the vampire airline did.  Sure he had to grease more palms, but there is a fund for that.  He, as well as any others that help the vampires function in this world, will be happy for the Revelation.

He still laughs about when Eric had to jump on his Dayman, Bobby Burnham, when he tried to lord it over Alcide.  Alcide never cared what the human thought, but damn, the day he finally saw the look on Bobby’s face when Eric snarled that Alcide was Godric’s and therefore above him as part of the Bloodline…hell, he still gets a grin as he remembers Bobby’s face showing his complete shock that this husky man wearing flannels all the time is higher on the totem pole than he is!

He walks over to the van that had been brought up and loaded with the crates and such, opens the door and gets in.  He smirks knowing how upset Eric will be with their transportation, and how thrilled Pam will be with it.  She swears that vans, and especially the minivan, are the best vehicles to have.  They have plenty of room for bodies and her shopping bags.

Depending on how long they’re all here, he figures Eric will find a car for himself as he always does…unless Godric lets him drive his own, which could happen.  Shaking his head as he maneuvers the roads to the interstate so he can make his way to Forks, Alcide chuckles as he suspects things are changing.

As he turns onto the freeway between Seattle and Forks, he wonders about Godric’s Mate.  The news of him finding his Mate is rocking the supernatural world. The boy vampire is also called Death for a reason.  He alone was responsible for many deaths in the supernatural and human worlds.  He could easily not just rule a kingdom; he could command a country with as large as his Bloodline is.  And he just added to his power by finding his Mate.  However on the heels on that news was his request for information about the Cold Ones.  This request has many scrambling to discover what they can in order to find favor with the boy vampire.  Everyone wants to be on Godric’s good side.  He is one of the most singularly powerful beings on the planet.

Godric had earned Alcide’s loyalty early in life.  He had wanted to swear to him the first time he turned, but Godric refused until he was eighteen.  On that day, he was before Godric swearing his loyalty.  His pack, and his family in particular, knows the great debt they owe him.  Without Godric’s protection, in lean times they would have suffered.  Instead they have prospered.  Godric also trusted him with many jobs.  He has a Dayman who he sends to do things that, if he were waylaid, would only result in a hassle, but he saves the important jobs for Alcide.

Over the years Alcide has proven his loyalty to the Bloodline and has taken on many jobs that would have been appropriate for a Dayman, but he’s also in charge of all the buildings and homes that Godric and Eric reside in.  He is often in charge of Pam’s, too, but she sometimes has others working on her home and he checks after them to make sure they are satisfactory.  Eric had been growing displeased with Pam’s holier than thou attitude and had mentioned to Alcide that he will be giving her a “come to Jesus” talk…which caused them both a nice chuckle.

As proof of how important Godric’s Mate is, the ancient vampire is calling the three of them to him:  his son, his granddaughter, and his most trusted guardian, which is the title Godric gave Alcide.  He is also looking forward to meeting these new shifters.  Maybe he can get them to be Godric’s personal guards?  Lord knows that Godric will have his focus on his mate and will want the extra security.

With the reminder of the Mate, his mind goes back over what little is known so far.  He had read everything sent and given to him by Eric and he is amused by Godric’s Mate’s father.  He didn’t deserve his daughter, and Eric will give him a lesson in that. The mother better be glad that they had more important things to worry about, though Eric had called in same favors and her mother will not find life quite so easy anymore.  Nope, no one messes with children around Eric, and to have this particular child go through what she has, has really hit Eric.  He will do anything to protect his father’s Mate.

Alcide remembers what he read of the file and more importantly how Eric had reacted to what he was reading on the plane before he died for the day.  He had growled out, “There should be fucking classes if you are going to be a parent.  These two managed to do everything wrong short of physical abuse!  We will have a lot to do to help her.”  He drags his hands through his hair, mentally thinking that he may get it cut soon.  Eric had paced the length of the plane as he tried to calm himself, then stops, frozen.  Pamela had stopped filing her nails.  Then the two of them look to each other and sigh in relief.  Eric moves and drops into the seat beside Alcide.  At a look from him, Eric explains, “First Blood exchange.  With the emotions we are feeling from both of them, it must be a good reason.  Though I would like to know what sent them into a rage just before.  Shaking his head, his eyes gaze off then tells Pam, “We need to get below.  The sun is already up and you will get the bleeds soon.”

As Pam left, Eric had turned to him and gave him some instructions, and then forwarded him his emails.  He knew that Alcide would take care of anything that needed to be done and also answer any needs of Godric.  Neither of them want to worry that he may have sent information to one and not the other.

All in all, with the instructions he received later as well as a note from Ludwig on the father getting worse in her estimation, Alcide took it to mean that Charlie, Bella’s father, will be far down the list of who he had to take orders from.  He grins in the van.  Oh yes, this will be fun.  A new Supe, Godric’s Mate, and a human male who thinks he’s all that…  Yes, this will be loads of fun to sit back and watch.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/bellas-truck.jpg)

Before long, he pulls up to the address, eying the old truck beside Godric’s Aston Martin.  It looked like a classic, but it needed some work.  He wondered if he could work on it to pass time.  He shakes his head at the cruiser also parked there, reminding himself that her father is also the local police chief.  Though he might be part of the local authority,  he will find out soon enough that there is nothing he can do this late in the game.  The governments are aware of the Revelation, and a lot of them are under Godric’s thumb.  Bella is going to shocked at how powerful her mate really is.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/sam-as-wolf-1.jpg)

He hops out of the van, and before he could do much more than stretch, he has a horse-sized wolf staring at him from the tree line.  He blinks.  _‘Holy shit!  Godric was not exaggerating about their size!’_   But he pulls the mantle of his Alpha around him as he looks the wolf in the eye, allowing his own eyes to reflect the wolf inside.

With a huff, the wolf backs away then comes through the trees as a man with shorts on.  Alcide picks up the odd scent from him.  It was more earth-like, and less wet wolf, than his own kind is.  Alcide is definitely going to see about getting some of the Supes to be guards.  If the build that this one has is any example, well they would be enough to give anyone pause, human or Supe.

_‘How the hell does he think he can get away with wearing that?  Some lessons are needed for these new wolves.’_ Alcide stands where he is as the man comes up to him.  Then the other man asks, “I take it you are Alcide?” Alcide is mentally pleased he stands up to him, guessing the man across from him is also an Alpha.

Alcide nods. “And you are?” He doesn’t shake hands as is normal with humans.  He is going to start from the beginning teaching this man about Supes and the courtesies involved.

“Sam”

Shaking his head at the man’s reluctance to give information, Alcide asks him, “Mind giving me a hand with Eric and Pam?”  There is no way he will give him Eric, but Pam on the other hand….

Sam looks curious as he tells him, “Sure.”

With a laugh, Alcide tells him, “They don’t look like coffins.” He can just imagine what the man is thinking.  It had been one of the things he had wondered about for the longest time until Godric had been kind enough to show him.

Sam got a sheepish look on his face. “I should know better, we got Godric’s down in the basement.  It’s…unusual.” He runs his hand through his hair in a nervous gesture.  He can smell that the man in front of him is…other.  And it has made him jittery, to say the least.

Alcide gets an intent look on his face and his voice drops, “Don’t ever say that again.  If you are given the right to know where their resting places are, you guard that jealously.  It is one of the top secrets of their kind and the largest sign of their trust that they can give.  But for now, grab the pink one, that’s Pam.  I got Eric.” He sighs, knowing that Godric is really not in the room Sam said, but he needs to learn right away what he can and cannot say.

Sam lifts Pam’s coffin without any problems but his eyes widen as he sees Eric’s.  “Taha Aki! That is a big son of a bitch!” He cannot see how the man inside of that is anyone that Charlie is thinking of going against.  But then, he would never contest Godric, the age and strength pour off of him.  No, he will be aligning his tribe with Godric right away.

Alcide gets a smirk on his face. “You’ve seen nothing yet.  Let’s get inside.” He lifts Eric’s coffin and heads into the house.

As they walk in the door, they hear the sound of a saw and Ludwig appears in front of Alcide.  He is used to her and raises an eyebrow.  He doesn’t know what the sound of the saw was for since if anything Godric’s email hints that they will be leaving the house as the scent of the Cold Ones may be hurting Bella’s recovery.

Ludwig is flat out grinning. “Bella’s father has been trying to get into the door all day.  It has been entertaining to say the least.  But Godric wishes Eric to be put in with them.  I put a spell on the room that I think I am just going to leave there until they leave the house.” Or longer.  She is a brownie and mischief making on the people who deserve it gives her a deep seated sense of pleasure.

Alcide shakes his head.  He looks at Sam. “Can you restrain him long enough for me to get in there and then when I come back?  I will have the coffin with me.”  This at least gives him  peace since he can tell that the wards are strong enough to block a human.

Sam is shaking his head at the older man and looks down at the tiny Doctor. “Can we just knock him out?  He is getting worse and worse, and I hate to see what he may say or do to his daughter unless he calms down.”  Though from the hints he is getting and from the size of the container Alcide is huffing around gives him the impression that little Bella Swan is about to become very protected.   And in a way that even Charlie will understand.

Ludwig sighs. “I guess that will be better.  But I am looking forward to him and Eric meeting.  He seems to think that Eric and Godric will be nice to him because of Bella.  I don’t think it has sunk through his thick skull that she is 18. And Godric has more rights to her than her father, especially with how he and his ex-wife have fucked up.”

Alcide’s eyes glow, then he grins. “It will be a sight to see won’t it. Eric against Charlie.  The Viking better take it easy or he will kill the old man.”

The shared grins make Sam uneasy, but he and his mate talked early this morning and she made some excellent points.  Charlie really has not shown much love to his daughter other than buying her a truck and putting chains on it.  But really, who wouldn’t do that?  He has not changed his routine in any way except for eating at the diner now that he has a cook at the house.  Even then he just eats and still acts like it’s the diner by going to watch the game afterwards.

Even now it was more like he’s mad about a toy being taken away.  The only difference is that he’s hiding it under father ‘worries’.  But where were these worries when the Cullens were here?  Sure they may have changed his mind some of the time, but what about those fishing trips?  Surely he knew that she had to be with them?

Watching Charlie right now solidified that.  He is acting like a madman, using a saw to try to get into his daughter’s room even after he was told that any sunlight will kill the vampires.  But then, maybe that is what he is trying to do.  A serious growl rises up in him and he starts to shake.

Before he realizes it, Alcide is in front of him, telling him, “Calm down.  Ludwig will take care of him.  Then we will deposit Pam downstairs and the two of us can crack a can of beer and talk.  Sound good?”  The man is staring at the other man.

Alcide decides that he would need to train these men.  Insults are a game to the vampires, and they will need to keep their tempers if they are to guard Bella and Godric.  And this is the endgame he has come to, that they will guard the heads of the Bloodline.

Nodding his head, Sam placed the coffin down easily, heads upstairs and catches Charlie as he falls from whatever the good doctor gave him.  He shakes his head and takes the man to his room and drops him on the bed.

When he exits the room, he watches as Alcide enters the room.  He literally disappears into the darkness.  Sam leans against the wall waiting for him.  He has a feeling his world is going to be rocked for the second day in the row when Alcide is done.  Or when he meets this Eric.

 

 

* * *

Alcide enters the room and is surprised to see Godric’s eyes open when he comes in.  Godric smiles, and holds his finger to his lips and looks down at the woman he is holding. The look was adoring and full of the love that the vampire is feeling for his Mate.  There is also a sense of awe that he actually found her, and that she accepts him.

Looking at her, Alcide smiles.  This is the woman who they have all prayed for, and she is everything that any of them could have wished for as far as her physical appearance is concerned.  But even more apparent is Godric’s complete sense of calm, one that Alcide has never experienced, and he is thrilled that he is here to be part of her being one of them.

Alcide carefully sets down the coffin and unlocks it.  Since Godric is up, he is not surprised to find Eric’s eyes pop open as he raises the coffin lid.  Silently Eric gets out of the coffin and nods his thanks to the wolf.  He then turns and takes  his first look at his Master’s Mate.  He smirks as his eyes travel the length of her and meets his Maker’s eyes with frank approval in his face.

Alcide shakes his head and grins as he closes the coffin.  He reaches in the back and hands Eric his laptop and Godric’s, along with changes of clothing for  them and some other items.  When he is done, he inclines his head to both of them and leaves.  He is looking forward to that beer and any information he can gather for his master.

 

 

* * *

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/eric-5.jpg)

Eric is staring at the young woman in Godric’s arms.  At first all he can do is take in her beauty and he knows that his Master must be pleased.  Then he notices the dark shadows on her face and the other signs of her not being well. This is not good.  His Mistress is to be healthy.  He can feel the Bond in them; why is she not well?

He frowns, “I thought you both did the first exchange?  Why is she looking like this?”  And when he looks up at Godric, he can see the same weariness in him. “You too?  What is going on?” He knows that the Cold Ones have something to do with this.  There cannot be any other explanation.

Nuzzling his Mate, Godric sighs. “The first exchange is much more than I was told, but again that could because of us being Mates.  But you are right, I felt my blood rushing through her body and healing so much.  She has her appendix back and many, _many, **MANY**_ scars healed.  My blood even found the inner ear problem that caused her clumsiness, or at least some of it, and healed it.  But the scar on her arm from the Cold Ones will take at least one more exchange.  And whatever their breath did, it is fighting us.  My blood is winning, so she is under no pain.  I am taking it from her.” He doesn’t need to tell Eric the whys or hows.  Eric knows this is something Godric does happily to keep his Mate from feeling the pain that the Cold One’s have caused her.

Eric’s eyes narrow slightly.  “You have a hypothesis?” He has his own, but is very interested in Godric’s.  He had spoken with her and would have more input, though he wonders if he knows about the hospital report.

Nodding, Godric tells him, “I think it is a combination of venom in her.  The tracker bit her, and then Edward bit her to remove the venom.  She remembers the venom fighting the removal and how badly it hurt.  And her wrist was cold before I gave her my blood.  Now it is closer to our temperature.  Eric, Ludwig already told me that if the exchanges don’t work, she may die.”  With his deepest fear spoken out loud, he gently holds his Mate closer to him, as he stares up at his Child.

Eric closes his eyes.  He asks, “What if she is given my blood also?  I already feel her, I wouldn’t mind.  Anything to give her more of a chance?” He is grasping at anything, everything to help his Maker out.  He would give his own life if it would mean Godric and his Mate will survive.  Though, truth be known, he rather that not be an option.  He has a strange pull to Godric’s mate but not as a romantic interest.  No, it is more familiar.  And not as a mother would be.  He is too old for a mother at this time.

Godric sends his appreciation over the Bond.  “I prefer not, but if it is needed, you would be the one I would ask.  I take it you read my email?” His eyes darken with all that he had been told last night.  There is nothing more important to him than his Mate.  But his revenge on those that dared to try to break her, to mold her into their image and in the process hurt her…  No, there is no place they will be able to hide on this planet.

Eric sniffs, and wrinkles his nose. “Yes, and at least we have the scent of the main perpetrator.  How handy for him to leave his foul odor everywhere.” He is quite impressed with how Godric is able to stay in here with the stench of the Cold One in here, much less a male that tried to take his Mate.  But, on the other hand, the good thing is that they will never forget this scent.

Smirking, the two look at each other.  This Cold One is going to find out what it means to mess with their species and especially the Mate of one of their kind.  It does not matter that she didn’t know of Godric nor him her.  She is Godric’s soul mate and anyone who has caused her harm will answer to them.

Looking down as he felt the first flickers of awareness from his Mate, he tells Eric quickly, “We will need to air out the room.  I want nothing to trigger a relapse from the scent.  I also need you to go to their house and see what you can find.  If I thought she was up to it, I would take her with us, but we will see.  It will be up to her.”

“And that right there is what made me decide to give you a chance, Godric.” A melodic voice answers Godric, and Eric smiles.

A grin steals across Godric’s face and he nuzzles his Mate. “Good morning, a thaisce.  Eric is here and we have a few hours before we can leave this haven.  How do you feel?” He frowns as he asks, since he can feel her pain, but he is hoping she doesn’t feel it too.  Plus, he will need to tell her the blood worked, but didn’t.

Bella straightens up and Eric holds out his hand to help her sit up.  She looks up, then further up.  She can’t help but grin.  “Eric?”  He is not quite what she pictured, but she does admit he is stunning.  But then Godric is equally stunning, and more her type.

As he helps pull her into a sitting position, he takes a seat at the end of the bed as he bows to her, “At your service, milady.”  When he rises, he is grinning at her. He cannot help it.  The thrill of meeting her is enough to make him truly happy.

Bella laughs.  She can’t help it. “You’re like a frat boy.  But for some reason, I feel as safe with you as I do with Godric,” she grins, “as though you’re a big brother to me.”  Her grin turns into a smirk.  She can guess this is not something he hears from woman often in his life.  She imagines most women fall at his feet giving him anything he wishes.

Both men laugh.  Eric takes her hand and tells her seriously, “I’ll be honored to be your big brother.  And I will teach you all about having fun.  Well, when Godric will allow it.”  When she called him “brother”, it fell into place.  That is what she feels like, a sister.

She turns to Godric and teases, “Are you going to be the fuddy duddy?” She cannot see him not letting her have fun, and even joining in it.

Godric growls playfully as he pulls her closer.  He tells her closer to her ear, “No. I will be your lover, your best friend, everything you wish, _except_ your father or brother.  For what I have planned in my mind, I think it would be illegal.” His fangs slip down at his thoughts but he is loving joking around with her like this.

She blushes, but laughs at the two of them. She cannot believe how much her life has changed for the second time in a year.  But this time was better.  Godric is perfect.  And she cannot deny the strength of their Bond, she can feel him and the absolute truth of the love he holds for her.  It is better that they started the Bond.  She will never question his feelings for her as she did with Edward all the time.

Eric looks over to Godric.  “I like her.  I want to keep her.” His face has a slight smile and his eyes show the mirth he is feeling at this point.  But he is dead serious.  Even if she were not Godric’s mate, he would want to have her around.  Forever.

Both of them are enjoying the sound of her laughter.  They plan for more of it to happen, but first they need to save her life. And this is enough to bring them back to the here and now.  Time and the threat of it are hanging over Godric’s and Bella’s lives.

Godric shakes his head, and then gets serious. “Bella, a thaisce?”

When she turns her head up to him, he takes the opportunity to kiss her and tells her, “We have some serious things to discuss.” He is reluctant to tell her.  Really, how does one tell the other half of their soul that she is dying?  They had just found each other!

Sighing as he realizes the reason Godric is pausing, Eric tells her, “He ruins all of the fun.  I am hoping you will bring back the part of him that I used to play with.” He is going to make her laugh, and then he will break it to her.  Better him than Godric.  The pain Godric is going through just thinking of it is awful enough.

Bella shyly comments, “Well I don’t want the part of him that made you toss him into the lake.” Her eyes rise up to meet his and Eric softly gasps.  Her eyes remind him of his little sister.

Then, hiding his shock, he laughs, “Yep, it is confirmed, she has a sense of humor and we need to keep her.” His eyes are hooded as he controls himself.  This is not what he had expected when he came here.

Godric is looking down into her eyes as he tells them both, “I sincerely hope that Bella chooses that option, especially as the simple solution didn’t work.”  He knows she is intelligent and that this will give her a hint.

Bella looks at both of them and asks, “What’s wrong?” There is no mistake that the two of them have bad news.  And she was enjoying herself for the first time in a long while.  But the only thing she can think is…  No.  Godric’s blood healed her.  There is no way-

Not knowing he is interrupting her internal rant, Godric tells her sadly, “I’m sorry, a thaisce, but you’re dying.”

 

 

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**Final count:  6,131 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	10. When You Love Someone

 

# When You Love Someone

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/946747_564848933536305_1277658848_n.jpg)

Pre Edit Count -   3,489 Words

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Fix You_ by Coldplay

 

 

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_Previous:_

_When she turns her head up to him, he takes the opportunity to kiss her and tells her, “We have some serious things to discuss.” He is reluctant to tell her.  Really, how does one tell the other half of their soul that she is dying?  They had just found each other!_

_Sighing as he realizes the reason Godric is pausing, Eric tells her, “He ruins all of the fun.  I am hoping you will bring back the part of him that I used to play with.” He is going to make her laugh, and then he will break it to her.  Better him than Godric.  The pain Godric is going through just thinking of it is awful enough._

_Bella shyly comments, “Well I don’t want the part of him that made you toss him into the lake.” Her eyes rise up to meet his and Eric softly gasps.  Her eyes remind him of his little sister._

_Then, hiding his shock, he laughs, “Yep, it is confirmed, she has a sense of humor and we need to keep her.” His eyes are hooded as he controls himself.  This is not what he had expected when he came here._

_Godric is looking down into her eyes as he tells them both, “I sincerely hope that Bella chooses that option, especially as the simple solution didn’t work.”  He knows she is intelligent and that this will give her a hint._

_Bella looks at both of them and asks, “What’s wrong?” There is no mistake that the two of them have bad news.  And she was enjoying herself for the first time in a long while.  But the only thing she can think is…  No.  Godric’s blood healed her.  There is no way-_

_Not knowing he is interrupting her internal rant, Godric tells her sadly, “I’m sorry, a thaisce, but you’re dying.”_

_Now:_

 

 

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[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/leighton-meester-33.jpg)

Bella stares up into his face.  She lifts an eyebrow and asks, “I take it you mean more than normal?” She can’t think past this, that he means…

Eric smirks. “Yes, lillasyster.  He means more than you rushing to death on your own time.”

Sighing, Bella complains about something that she can handle. “Well at least I understand Eric’s words for me. Godric’s sound nothing like English!”  Her mind cannot accept that what they are saying is real.  She is only 18 years old.  Yes, she faced death before with James, but she choose that.  How is she possibly dying now?

Laughing, Godric kisses her nose, and tells her, “Wait until he really starts to nickname you.  The Norse had some weird endearments.” He can feel the shock going through her body right now.  She is trying to sidetrack everyone to be able to deal with this, and he will allow it for a small amount of time.  She deserves it after all those other shocks.

Eric is grinning mischievously, already thinking of some of them.  He will have fun with these, oh yes…

Waving her finger at him, “Any names will get translated.  And if I don’t like them, I’m siccing Godric on you.” Her brown eyes are dancing with amusement but her voice gives a hint of the woman she really is.

Teasing her, “You don’t think you can do anything, you’ve got to rely on Godric?” He thumps her on her nose gently, teasingly.

Her eyes reflecting Eric’s mischievousness, her quick reply showed she listened last night, “But he is older and stronger than you.  A regular human can stop me, much less a 1,000 year old Viking!!” They grin at each other, totally enjoying the moment.

Groaning, Godric looks up, “What did I do that was so bad you stuck me with two of them?” His voice is full of his pretend agony over this, but he is truly enjoying this fun between the two people he loves so very much.

Looking up through her eyelashes, Bella asks softly, “Do you regret me?”

Actually feeling the rejection, Godric pulls her back into his arms and tells her seriously, “Never.”

Eric watches them as he too felt Bella’s rejection, and is saddened by the fact that she fears Godric’s rejection of her that easily.  He also can feel how free she had felt when they were teasing her.  His eyes harden momentarily.  His little sister will be healed from what the Cold Ones have done to her both physically and emotionally, and from what her own parents did to her, as well.  He will see to it personally if he had to.  And with that decision, Eric’s future shifted.

Godric holds her while he brings them back to their previous conversation.   “Unfortunately, Eric and I were being truthful earlier.  You are dying, a thaisce.  Whatever the Cold Ones did, whatever it is they infected you with, it is fighting back against my blood.  So far, my blood is winning, but, a mhuirnin…”  His voice trails off.  He finds it so very painful to tell her the hard truths.  She has incredibly difficult decisions to make, and he doesn’t trust himself _not_ to try to influence her.  But who could blame him when his mate’s life is on the line?  He himself would abide by her wishes; he is bound to her for the rest of their soul’s eternity whether as vampires, a human and a vampire, or as pure souls.  No matter what, they will be together.

Eric interrupts when he feels how much it is hurting Godric to tell his Mate this. “To be truthful, Bella, here are the facts.  Your father mentioned that you had been upset a couple of times at Edward’s handling of you, then soon it was as though you were never angry to begin with.  He also commented that he too had changed his mind when he had planned not to.  There have been mentions of you allowing them more and more control over you as time went by.  Lillasyster, I can tell you now, this is not the woman I am seeing in front of me, nor is it the woman I know who raised her mother, paid bills since she was 5, took jobs to earn money to make sure the electric is not turned off at 7.  No, the girl back then may have been shy, but she saw what needed to be done and she did it.  That woman has a strong will.  The woman that researched and figured out the Cullen’s secret is a strong woman.  I cannot understand the differences between that woman, and the change in the recent behavior of that woman as has been described to us.  But what the good doctor is finding out, from these descriptions of your recent odd behavior and from the drug-like substance found in both you and your father, is that you did not become this way voluntarily.  No matter what you yourself may believe, it was something in them, something about them that gave you this drug and changed you.  The most evident symptom is a person’s complete inability to refuse them.  Fortunately, your father was subjected to a low dosage and it is working its way out of his body.”

His own eyes reflect the fire he feels that anyone would be drugged to do this.  Yes, he glamours, and he has no problem with it. But to drug someone?  To him that is very close to raping, something he abhors with every cell in his body.  He has never raped anyone, either physically or with glamour.  He often uses his glamour to hide his presence from the world, or for any duties required of his position, but never for something like this.

Thinking over the many ways that this could have ended up so much worse for his little one, Eric leans forward and swallows Bella’s small hand in his two.  “However, in your body, this drug-like substance is fighting Godric’s blood.  It had been hoped that with an exchange, the beginnings of the Bond would help.”  He stops and lowers his head so that he looks her in the eyes.  “Godric asked first if it would hurt you, and that was when he was told that it would be better for you.  Godric cared, Bella.  He wanted to make sure that his greatest wish would not cause you pain, but would help you out.  Then, I felt his emotions when he asked, when you agreed.  I wish you could have felt it, it was the most wondrous emotion I have ever felt.  He was beginning to Bond with his soul Mate, and he had a good chance to heal her.” He grins and his face is showing his awe of that emotion that he got the pleasure of feeling.  He can never explain it to someone, and hopes she can feel it in the future as they Bond closer.

Then his face drops as he tells her, “And it looked like it was going to work.  All your scars are gone, but for one.  All your bones are solid as if they’d never been broken, your appendix is back, and your health is overall the best it has ever been.  His blood even found a slight issue with your inner ear that may have caused your clumsiness and fixed that too.  But then it went against the scar that had been inflicted on you by the Tracker and Edward.  It burned not only you, but Godric too.  At the same time, his blood is fighting something in your brain, the drug.  You had passed out by the time he discovered this, but he is not wanting to hide anything from you.  He is scared, and to be frank, so am I.  His blood is ancient and should have healed you.”

Eric takes a breath.  “Bella, right now, it is your choice.  What do you want to do? Continue with the Bonding, and see if that will heal you? Just take more of his blood without Bonding further? Or be turned? Even do both, and be turned if it doesn’t work? Or the last option, do you want to live the rest of your life as you can?”   He tells her the choices that Godric couldn’t since he feared influencing her.  Eric had to use all of his training, his 1,000 years of being in the deep end of vampire politics, to do as Godric wished:  to give her the complete choice.  But he is begging his gods, her, and anyone who could help that she chooses an option that would not involve him losing his Maker, his brother, his…father.

Her eyes full of tears, Bella looks into Eric’s eyes and sees only honesty there.  She looks back at Godric and what she see there is painful.  Godric will allow her the choice, and will abide by it.  But she remembers the pain last night, and she also remembers that Godric had already told her that if she dies, so does he.  Can she be responsible for his death too?  For something that they are suspecting was a real attempt at killing her or whatever the Cullens were doing?  She doesn’t think she can do that, not when she feels so comfortable in her skin for the first time in her life.

She had always felt out of sync with the realities in her life.  She wasn’t a 5 year old kid making decisions for herself and her mother; she was a much older person stuck in a 5 year old body.  And it never got better for her.  She thinks that might have been her fascination with the Cullens, and Edward in particular.  Their bodies seemed young, but their eyes showed their true age.

But it still didn’t quite fit.  Edward rejecting her physical advances, Alice treating her like a Barbie doll, Rosalie hating her, even Carlisle and Esme treating her like a child all came to mind.  While it was a relief not to have to worry about things, she still felt like she was not fitting in.  Somehow, somewhere she had become desperate to fit in somewhere, anywhere.  She had been so desperate that, since this was the closest that she had ever been to being ‘normal’ and she was so tired of being lonely, she did whatever needed to be done to fit in.  And now, thinking it over with Eric’s information, she saw that she was not being her true self.  In the past she had never felt the _need_ to fit in; she simply didn’t and she saw no reason to try to force a round peg into a square hole.  But, during the Cullen’s involvement in her life, she felt this was not only desperately needed, but it was if her very life depended on it.

However, unlike having it being forced on her as with the Cullens, instead now with Eric and Godric, she realizes that she does fit.  These ancient vampires are like her.  They understand doing your duty, taking care of family.  They understand, Godric a little better than Eric, how it is to be stuck in a younger-than-you-feel body.  She didn’t need parents; she raised herself and her parents.  She didn’t want children; she is sick of raising adults, much less wanting a child.  And what if they are like her, older in spirit than in age?  She couldn’t do that, not in this time when adults often are nothing more than children themselves.

Looking down into her brown eyes, Godric has a small smile on his face as he wipes the tears off her face as she thinks, and faces the truth, and brings them to his lips.  They taste the same as he feels, bittersweet.  The joy of finding his Mate is being overshadowed by the fear of her dying on him.  But, he will abide by her wishes.  She has endured too much of that boy and his family taking away her choices.  This is his Mate, his equal in all ways.  Why would he try to influence her?  If she asks for his opinion, he will give it.  And he will even offer it when he thinks he knows a better way than she does.  But he will never take the choice out of her hands.

Eric watches the two of them, and tells himself that he wants the same thing.  No matter what Bella may tell herself, she already cares for Godric as a Mate.  And he is selfish to want her to stay if only to save his Maker’s life.  Godric and he will make sure she will live for herself.  But he is silent, per his Master’s wish.  Godric wants her to make the choice, and he can understand that.

Thinking it over, Bella softly asks, “Bonding will only encourage our Bond, right?” She wants to make sure she understands what all this will mean.  Bonding may give her the chance of fighting this and staying alive for however long it takes for her to wrap up her life.  If it works, then she and Godric can spend the time needed to see how this will work out.

Godric nods, telling her softly, “But do what you wish, a thaisce.  Do not live for me; live for yourself.  I will not lie, I want you to want me.  I want you to also want to do it for yourself.  If you choose to live our life, it is too long for you to so with regrets.  And that has no place in the life I wish for the two of us.  There will be things to regret in time, but let’s not overshadow our beginning with it.”  He is rigid with the effort of not allowing anything through the Bond.  He will NOT influence his Mate.

Smiling softly to him, she divulges to them both, “I have made many decisions like that, living for others.  My life was spent making sure we had food and everything we needed.  I worried in bed, an adult’s worries, while my mother slept peacefully.  I took care of my father when I moved here in thanks for allowing me stay here.  Edward pushed and pulled me, but then I was just happy that someone wanted me for me.  Later I found out that he only wanted my blood and my silence.  I was an experiment.  He wanted a wife from his time period, not me, and no matter what he did, I showed that I couldn’t be docile.  But you and Eric, you want me for me.  I can’t explain it, but I feel it deep inside, a connection to you both.”

Then her face falls and she looks down, her hair sliding to hide her expression. “But I am scared.  I thought I was doing the right thing in being with Edward.  What happens if my instincts are wrong here?  Forever is a long time to be wrong yet again.”  This truly is her only concern.  She can accept being alone for a human life, but for the rest of eternity?  That is much harder for her to accept.

Eric lifts her head up in his hands.  As she met his eyes, he smiles. “Lillasyster, I will be by your side no matter what.  If you need me, I will be there.  I will make a blood oath with you, if you allow it.  If for some reason you are wrong, you will still always have me.  But, even though I loathe the suggestion, there is an end to forever.  Our kind can die, and the sun can and will kill you if you wish to end this existence.  So make the decision you wish to make, and I will do all I can to make it happen.  Godric will too.  I have no doubt that if you no longer want this existence, just mention it to him, and he will walk into the sun with you.” His eyes rim in red, but he will not lie to her.  Godric will walk by her side no matter the reason…even if it is to greet the sun.

She shakes her head. “But that is exactly what I don’t want!  I don’t want him to die because he no longer feels something for me!  I am not worth someone’s life!” The last is yelled at them.  It is the core of who she is.  She sacrificed herself for her mother, she did it to make sure none of the Cullens would get hurt.  Yes, Jasper had told her she is worth it, but in reality, she really doesn’t believe that.  Nothing is worth the life of another person, especially her life.

Eric’s eyes harden at her statement and he moves closer.  He will shake some sense into her if that is what is needed.  He stares into her eyes making sure she couldn’t look away as he informs her, “But you are, lillasyster.  You are worth many lives, and you are worth having all happiness for yourself.  Believe in yourself, and believe in your heart.  You made the leap once, can you make it once more?  Truly, what is there to lose?  Dying?  You already are.  But this, this has the hope of happiness and you, of all the millions of people I have met in my lifetime, you are one who deserves this.  So choose for yourself, mia syrra.  I will defend you no matter what.” He is being honest with her.  No being other than Godric deserves him championing her.  Not even Pam, his own Child.  To him, Bella is his blood sister; he just needs to do the props for her to see this.

Godric holds her close, truly afraid.  In her hands is her fate, and therefore his.  He just nuzzles his face in her hair as he waits, still not trusting himself to say anything.

Bella stars at Eric, feeling Godric holding her close to him. She thinks over what these two men are telling her.  And she realizes that Eric is right.  She made the leap once, why not do it again?  And this time, she can sense just how right this all feels.  With that, she finally says, “Promise?”

Both Godric and Eric say at the same time, “Promise.”

She smiles, then tells them, “Then Bonding first.  I would rather see if that helps.  If not, then we will turn me.” The Bonding will bring the two of them closer.  And if it gives them any time at all before she also has to tackle becoming a new species, she will greatly appreciate it.  But she will follow this road to its completion.

Godric again embraces her, thanking her over and over.  Eric closes his eyes as he thanks his gods too.  He opens them to smile down at her. “Thank you, lillasyster.  I thank you for letting me get to know my new little sister.  Since my own died as an infant, I am looking forward to all I that have missed over the years.”

Groaning, Bella snuggles back into Godric’s arms begging, “Godric!”  She can just see it in Eric’s eyes, the mischief that he will be up to with her…

He laughs as he kisses her, feeling her amusement.  He tells her, “Thank you, a thaisce.  You will never regret this decision.”  And he will lay the world at her feet, as he has promised earlier.  She deserves nothing less.

Feeling her happiness, he sighs in contentment. This right here is all he wanted in his life.  The love of his Mate, and the love of his son.  The three of them just spend some time in peace and quiet, Eric holding Bella’s hand and watching the two of them with a smile on his face.

After a while, Godric stirs from the euphoria he is in, enough to ask, “Bella, I think it’s time for Dr. Ludwig to come in.  Let us see if there is anything she can tell us beyond what my blood is telling us.” At her nod, he looks to Eric who already has his phone in his hand and messaging the good doctor.

A few minutes later, Dr. Ludwig comes through the door, smiling at the three inside.  “Eric!  Glad to see you.  I have to tell you, a lot of people are waiting for your entrance down below.  And I am definitely one of them!”  If she could, she would be selling tickets to this.  She may actually begin to like the Viking instead of merely putting up with him.

Bella moans into Godric’s chest.  “What’s happened now?  Wait, what time is it?” Her heart jumps as she remembers her chores and the rest of what she needed to get done.

Before she can get upset, Godric holds her close to him and he tells her, “No worries about that, a thaisce.  You are not your father’s maid nor are you his cook.  If need be, we can hire one.  But this stops now.  My Mate does not work to live anywhere and especially not in her own father’s house!  I could understand chores, or even if all this is because you turned of age, but by the admission of outsiders, he has done nothing for you except give you a place to live.” His face is hard, and from the emotions he is feeling from Eric, his Child is feeling the same.  The showdown between Eric and her father will be one for the record books, but at the same time he is hesitant as it may hurt his love.

Bella shakes her head, “But that is it.  He has no reason to let me live here.  He doesn’t love me, he proved that all those years ago when he didn’t fight for me.  He lets me live here and he even bought me a truck to get around.  In fact, I need to get a job since my savings are about to run out and I won’t have the money for gas.”  She is trying to make them understand that there is nothing that her father needs to do for her.  He allowed her to stay here when he didn’t need to.

Eric widens his eyes, “You used your own savings to get gas to get you around town, to get food and run errands and other chores?” Oh, there is so much he will be saying during the discussion that seems to be coming…

Nodding as she thinks he’s trying to understand where she is coming from, she admits to him, “At first I was trying to learn my way around here, then Edward came along and I got wrapped up with him.  Every time I would think of getting a job, he would convince me not to.  I don’t think he realized that money isn’t just there for normal people. He came from a wealthy background and Carlisle is rich too.” She shrugs, not letting the idea even faze her.  Money is something you worked for.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/eric-1.png)

Getting up to pace, Eric looks at her a couple of times and opens his mouth, then shakes his head and paces some more before repeating the actions.  He finally stops and crouches before her.

“Bella, you realize that I am a thousand years old and that, once I became vampire, I never had to eat, and literally didn’t need a home because I could make my home in the ground itself.  Now, I will be the first to tell you, I hate being dirty.  But in all this time, I worked at different crafts at different times, plus I was an enforcer.  Do you have any idea what they pay enforcers?  They can’t promise us food, because we can get our own.  Most enforcers wouldn’t let someone else know their resting place, since it is a very easy way to kill us.  So one of the only ways to pay us in is currency.  And since vampires are international, we usually get paid in gold and jewels, artifacts.  Only recently has there become a way for us to store our money, and even then, I have my money scattered around the world in different banks under different names.  In addition, the Kings and Queens we worked under also gave us properties since this was another commodity a lot of us would accept since it could be sold or traded for other things.  Again, I still have these properties all around the world, and the Kings and Queens who gave them to me are mostly truly dead.  There are no records and the properties themselves are under different names as if they have been sold.  Now, I am a thousand years old, and Godric is double my age.  He is also one of the best enforcers out there, and we often worked together.   In addition, Godric and I seem to be very good at making money.  Very, very good.   Are you following me so far?”

She nods, not following where this is going.  But Godric is, and he is starting to grin.  Bella is in for a large shock if  Eric says what he thinks he will.  Eric is a master of these sort of situations.  Though he won’t have to take care of Bella; Eric has Pam, and Bella is his Mate.  But he can foresee a lot of gifts coming her way from her new brother.

Eric stares into her eyes as he continues.  “Now in my culture, I am bound to care for anyone I claim as family and swear the blood oath with, which I will be swearing with you be since I want you as my lillasyster.  You will not make me forfeit my honor and my place in Valhalla, will you?” He is open to her, allowing her to see that he is not bullshitting her as humans say now.  His future if he ever meets the true death is at hand.

Bella shakes her head, but Eric presses on. “You would have me spend the rest of my eternity not celebrating the great deeds I have done, but in hell?”

Sighing, she gives in.  She can see that Eric is being honest.  He truly believes in his religion that he was raised in, but then, isn’t Godric older than Jesus?

He nods as he realizes she has given in.  He presses forward. “Now, by my standards, if you are going to spend the rest of your eternity with one man, is it not too much to think that you are married?  In the Supe world, as Mates, that is a foregone conclusion.  Being Mates supersedes any paper declaring anything.  Paper can be lost to time, and religions change all the time.  But the other half of your soul?  That is eternal.  Godric’s people didn’t believe in monogamy nor in marriage.  But he will be nothing but dedicated to you, no other will hold any pleasure for him, not even me.  He will just not see anyone without it being in regards to you.  Is this not what your time would call for in a married man?”

He will press this advantage as far as he can.  He can just see this being an issue for her, and Godric doesn’t deserve to have to fight with her about this when he has just found her.  Plus, Eric will be wanting to give her things, too.  She is his little sister and deserves to be celebrated.  And Godric is the only one who he would gift his sister to, for him to be her other half.  He is the only one that Eric would trust to treasure her as she not only deserves, but is her right.

Looking out the window, Bella is quiet as she thinks this over, and tries to wrap her mind around it. Eric is right, this mating thing can outlast religions.  The age and experiences of the two in front of her are proof positive of this.  And while Eric says that this is the same as marriage, he has no idea how much she detests the marriages of her time.  It seems so easy to just walk away.  Marriage is just what Eric says, a scrap of paper.  But what she is daring to hope that she has with Godric…isn’t that what she wants in her heart?  A way for someone to love her and never leave her?

Eric smiles as he enjoys having someone not want to spend his money. “Bella, how much money do you think I’m worth?” He is using his instincts and is going to drive this into her head that money is nothing to the two of them.

This shocks her from her thoughts of matrimony and back to the here and now. She looks at him, “What?”

Being patient, he asks her, “How much do you think I’m worth, money wise?  We already know I’m worth more than others, but I want you to think of just money.”  His voice and eyes are showing the teasing, but his face is serious.

Frowning, Bella tells him, “I have no idea.  Millions?” She doesn’t care how much money they have, they earned it.  Not her.

Eric tells her softly, “Try trillions.  And Godric has much more than me.  You could spend millions all day long, and it will not scratch the surface.  It wouldn’t even make a dent in the interest we get daily.  Think for a second, please?” He knows she doesn’t feel entitled to it, but what else are they going to spend the money on?  It stopped being a placeholder in keeping track of something in the game of life.  Now it is just something sitting there making money by itself, and the new measure of the game is their happiness and their survival.

When she nods slowly at him, he tells her, “Now I have a Child who tries to spend my money, but unbeknownst to her, I have accounts just for her and she has done nothing to scratch the surface, and she spends money like it’s going out of style.  I have no mate, and I don’t date around.  Fuck and feed, yes.  But I don’t keep pets as they would be known in our world.  I am going to be your brother, and in our world, family takes care of family.  So there is no reason for you to work, especially not to drive around and buy necessities.  Do you understand?”  He is using something she may be able to understand.

Bella tried yet again to protest, but Eric stops her with a finger, “It is simple, lillasyster. You have no need to work.  My job, as your family, as your bother,  is to care for you.  I know you understand the worth of every nickel you have ever needed, but now you don’t have to worry.  I am not asking you to try to outspend Pam; I am asking you to allow me to take care of my sister.  I know you think that since you didn’t earn the money, it isn’t yours, but it is.  Neither of us knew you were in our future, or we might have worked just a little bit harder to make sure that when you came onto this earth, it was ready to be laid at your feet as Godric wishes to do.  Instead, I am asking you to be my family and to use our resources.  Let me care for you as you would have in my time.  Will you allow me to keep my head high and keep my honor intact by doing this?”

Later he will inform her that she is also granted the title of Princess.  He is King, and his sister would be nothing less than a princess in her own right.  In giving her to Godric, he raises her to the station that she deserves, of Queen.

Staring at him, helpless under the onslaught of his logic as well as his pressuring her as his sister, she finally nods as tears spill down her face.  Eric smiles and gently wipes them away.  “No tears, lillasyster.  There is no reason for these, and they make me uncomfortable.  Now.  Do we need to go through why Godric is allowed to spend money on you, and will be taking care of you also? Or are you ok and we can now see what else the good doctor has to say?” He is watching her with a slight twist to his lips.  He won, and he will allow Godric to soothe his lillasyster now that he is done making sure she understands his duties to her.

Dr. Ludwig leans against the wall and watches this all with glee.  Oh yes, she has heard of Eric and of him being able to maneuver his way around a boardroom, but watching it in person?  Priceless.  If anything, it has cemented her wish to makes sure she records the coming altercation with Charlie.

Godric watches with a little shock as his son talks his Mate into doing what they would have done anyway, but now they at least have her agreement.  He also understood Eric’s caution hidden in his words.  They will have to break her in gently with the money.  As someone who has had to count every penny to make sure they ate some days, she will be uncomfortable for a while. He is just happy that he can take care of her, but he will be talking to his son about taking his Mate under his wing…

With Bella’s agreement, Eric takes her face in his hands and kisses her on the forehead.  “When we get done with all this, we will take the blood oath and become family.”  Then he grins, “I am looking forward to having a lyllasyster.”

Bella can’t help it, “Like anyone would be a big sister to you.”

The room erupts into laughter.

 

 

* * *

**Final count:  6,003 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	11. I Won’t Let it Go Down

# I Won’t Let it Go Down

**[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/beautiful-road-2.png) **

**Pre Edit Count -   3,020 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Over My Head (Cable Car)_ by The Fray

 

 

* * *

_Previous:_

_Staring at him, helpless under the onslaught of his logic as well as his pressuring her as his sister, she finally nods as tears spill down her face.  Eric smiles and gently wipes them away.  “No tears, lillasyster.  There is no reason for these, and they make me uncomfortable.  Now.  Do we need to go through why Godric is allowed to spend money on you, and will be taking care of you also? Or are you ok and we can now see what else the good doctor has to say?” He is watching her with a slight twist to his lips.  He won, and he will allow Godric to soothe his lillasyster now that he is done making sure she understands his duties to her._

_Dr. Ludwig leans against the wall and watches this all with glee.  Oh yes, she has heard of Eric and of him being able to maneuver his way around a boardroom, but watching it in person?  Priceless.  If anything, it has cemented her wish to makes sure she records the coming altercation with Charlie._

_Godric watches with a little shock as his son talks his Mate into doing what they would have done anyway, but now they at least have her agreement.  He also understood Eric’s caution hidden in his words.  They will have to break her in gently with the money.  As someone who has had to count every penny to make sure they ate some days, she will be uncomfortable for a while. He is just happy that he can take care of her, but he will be talking to his son about taking his Mate under his wing…_

_With Bella’s agreement, Eric takes her face in his hands and kisses her on the forehead.  “When we get done with all this, we will take the blood oath and become family.”  Then he grins, “I am looking forward to having a lyllasyster.”_

_Bella can’t help it, “Like anyone would be a big sister to you.”_

_The room erupts into laughter._

_Now:_

 

 

* * *

Godric is basking in his Mate being here with him as they all talk.  Bella is taking it all better than he had ever hoped.  Eric had helped with that, and he smiles as he thinks of how he will suggest that they do a first level Bond.  They both care for each other, and it was nothing like what had passed between Eric and Nora.  No, this is a true family bond between the two.  From what he remembers, the Blood oath that Eric is asking of her will satisfy this request, though he knows that Eric’s version will be different from the ones he had seen in the past.

Eric’s family is descended from Freya, and she is the patron of their kingdom.  She has been known to step into her descendants lives quite often, and Eric, while never having seen her in the ceremonies, has met and spoken with her.  He had also flirted with her before he had found out who she was.

As he watches his mate and Childe talking, he will candidly admit that he is surprised with Eric’s acceptance of her.  As he recalls the previous night, one of the longest in his life, he finds that Eric had been accepting of her the whole time.  Maybe she being Eric’s sister is just as fated as being his own Mate?

Eric lounges at the end of the bed, talking with Bella and discussing some of the traditions that he remembers from his life as a human.  He is as stretched out as he can be, looking like nothing more than a lion at rest, but Godric can feel his love for the petite brunette in his arms.  In his emotions there is nothing of the lust that Eric usually feels for any woman, believing that all women are put on the earth to be worshipped…by him if possible.

Looking at his Maker, Eric can’t help the smile that graces his face.  Godric looks happy.  Thinking back through the years, Eric could not remember the last time he had seen his Fader this happy.  If nothing else, he would love Bella for that.

Instead, he finds that he loves her as his lillasyster.  It really seems like she was born not only to be Godric’s mate, but to be what he has been missing in his own life.  Pam is his Childe and he loves her, but Bella gets his sense of humor, and she allows him to be himself in a way he just can’t be with Pam.  He can goof off, something that his Maker is the only living being to see, but as mischievous as Godric can be, and he can be quite bad, he still wasn’t quite what Eric has needed all these years.  With Pamela, he has to be forceful since she is a brat.  He can and has joked around with her, but in the back in his mind he knows that he cannot let go.  He always has to keep the upper hand with her since she will take that inch you give her and run for a mile with it. As her Maker, it is his job to restrain her.

Bella is the outlet for, as she termed it, his frat boy side, that side of him that goofed off and played pranks.  It was that side of him that was fucking when his family died, which made him be harder on himself and much more serious until Godric taught him that there was a place for revenge.

Godric also taught him that he’d been lost as a youngster, that he hadn’t lost his family because he didn’t love them.  He had been rebelling against his father, yes, but he had fulfilled his obligations.  He had gone on raids and brought back wealth for his lands.  He had done everything but act serious around his father. He had not understood that his father had tried to love him as he much as he could at that time and age.  Eric had wanted to stand on his own, and his father had never wanted to let him go.  So, instead, he had acted out against him for it. And when his father died, Eric had sworn his vengeance, and had lost that part of himself.  Godric had told him that while vengeance is a good thing to follow through on, he cannot live his life that way.

Bella is the last part of the healing he needed.  She lets that little part that is still mourning the loss of his family to be put to rest to allow him to dote on her.  Godric had better be prepared, because he is intent on spoiling his little sister.  In fact, he intends to spoil her worse than Pam, as only a brother could.  He grins, his eyes sparkling as he thinks of all the ways he can annoy her then make it up to her…

Bella relaxes as she enjoys the banter with Eric, the questions from the good Doctor, and Godric’s support.  Feeling his feelings was odd at first, but she is learning how to deal with it.  When she had asked it earlier, Ludwig had been only mildly surprised that she could feel them already.

When pressed by Godric for a prognosis, she declared, “Godric, you feel her no matter how far away you are.  This should not be surprising to you, and makes sense.  The Mating Bond wants you guys to be together, and this helps clear any issues as you go.  Neither of you can question the other’s feelings for each other.”

Now they are all waiting for the sun to set.  Bella is a little worried since she’d gotten hints that tonight will not be easy on her father.  She is also thinking about her options.  To be truthful, what really is holding her here?  She is 18.  Her father never really wanted her, just accepted her here.  She did nothing but cook and tend house for him or, when they were here, spend time with the Cullens.  So why exactly would it be worth it to keep Godric and Eric here when they have more important things to do at their homes?

Godric can feel her worry.  “What is it, a thaisce,” he asks, interrupting the conversation by calling everyone’s attention to her as he tries to understand why she is troubled.  He didn’t care, nor did the others.  This is the way it will be since her wellbeing is Godric’s top concern, and as the head of the Bloodline, his concern is theirs.

The rest of the group becomes quiet, and Bella blushes at being the center of attention.  Eric grins at her, encouraging her.  She won’t be in the background much longer since, as Godric’s mate, she will be often be in the center of attention.  Others will pay her attention to get on his good side.  This is another reason Godric wanted to have her learn these things before she became his Mate in front of the world.  Instead, she will find out the hard way as they go forward.

She sighs then asks, “What if he kicks me out?” She will be blunt as she finds that in most circumstances it gets her answers more often than not.

The vampires’ growls are immediate, but Godric answers her question. “Then, a thaisce, you will come to live with me.  Eric lives 31 minutes flying time from us.  If this could happen without you being this sad, I would prefer it.  But I am committed to your happiness and my King will understand.”  Secretly he is thrilled.  He has left instructions to find a house for her, but this way he can find one with her.  Already his living quarters should have been altered in preparation for his human Mate.  This would be the best solution.  In Texas, many see him as the Sheriff of Area 9, but in reality he controls the state.  His adopted childe, Dougal MacSheumais, will make sure he is safe there.  It is a place of refuge in case they need it in the coming years.

Sighing as she looks down and plays with Godric’s hand, she starts when Eric’s hand stops hers.  When she looks up at him, he informs her softly, “There is nothing to be worried about, lillasyster.  Did we not just talk about this?  I am only waiting for Godric to acknowledge my formal suit to swear the blood oath with you.  But if it will make you feel better, I will do it right now.” He cups her hands in his.

Godric smiles at his son for the acknowledgement of her being his Mate and what that means to their society, and informs the both of them, “It is not up to me.  You two can make that decision and I will support it.  Truthfully, I am thrilled about it, and request that it be a true Blood Oath.  Dr. Ludwig is here, and we can have Alcide and Sam as witnesses.”  Nothing would make him happier.  To know that his Mate and his Childe are this close?  It is unheard of in their world, but he wishes there to be no questions or notions of splitting his family.

Bella looks up into his face then to Eric. Letting go of their hands, she runs her fingers through her hair as she slowly asks, “What all does a Blood Oath entail?  I thought it was like when you were kids and swore to be best friends forever, with the blood swap…”

Dr. Ludwig snorts from her place against the wall.  “That is the ceremony in the most basic sense.  It is a very poor rendition of what Eric wants to do.  Eric is suggesting literally becoming your brother in every way.  He will exchange blood with you, and, though it is considered a first level binding by vampires, the magic of his Gods and his belief in them will make it reality.  And trust me when I say the Viking’s beliefs are very strong.  I know magic, and the power of his beliefs crackle around him at all times.  Your version of the Blood Oath that you will be swearing with Eric you need to get from him.  But the ceremony is quick and relatively painless.”  She is interested as she had never witnessed the ceremony herself.  As always, she also wonders about Eric.   He holds himself differently than other Vikings, and she has seen how he is given way when he is around any of his contemporaries

Looking over at Eric, Bella questions him, “And what is this ceremony?” She is once again playing with Godric’s hand as it seems to help with her nervousness.

Eric grins at her and quickly rights himself to take one of her hands.  “First off, what we will be doing is sacred, and no one can speak of it.  There is no record of this anywhere, and I, as well as my contemporaries, refused to tell anyone of it.  As Dr. Ludwig said, it is a deeply religious ceremony and can be done for many of the same purposes.  For that of family, however, it needs to include each of the four elements.  Our blood is the Water, the soil we stand upon the Earth, Air will be from our lungs, and Fire will be from the Eternal Flame.  Since as vampires we cannot stand under the sun to do this, the light of moon is allowed to witness it.”  His voice doesn’t show his trepidation about the substitution of the moon for the sun.  He is not sure the change will be forgiven, and since he is the only royal of his line alive as a vampire, he will have to do as he has always done…work through it.

Bella cocks her head to the side as she asks, “But if we do it before the sun sets, then it will be before the Eternal Flame.”  If Eric needs the sun, then why can’t that work?

Eric grins at her, “I didn’t think of that, I was thinking of how we would be outside.  But you are right, if we do it here…“  He pauses as he shakes his head.  “But the Earth…” He really wants this to be as accurate as it can be.  This is important to them both.

Bella turns her head to the side and thinks.  “How about if they cut some sod from the ground and brought it inside?  Would that work? Plus it would be on the hardwood which is often a symbol of earth, and would fit in with your views…”  She trails off as Godric and Eric grin at her.

Godric chuckles.  “You’re right, Eric.  She is a worthy Mate for me and more than worthy to be your blood family.”  He looks down at his Mate with pride.

He nods as he thinks through everything she said then pulls out his cell phone and sends some texts. Once he is done, he looks up with a glint in his eyes.  “Alcide and Sam are getting what we need.  Master, I brought your Goblet in case you needed it for anything, since the two other people you trust with it are with us.  With your permission, I would like to use it.”  His eyes meet his Maker’s with the excitement not only showing, but growing as he realizes that they actually are doing this, that he will literally have family with him.  Forever…

Nodding, Godric kisses the top of Bella’s head. “Of course.”  He plans to use the Goblet with her as well.  It is fitting that Eric gains his sister through the same Goblet he has somehow retained through 2,000 years.

Bella watches everyone moving around and can see how happy Eric is.  She softly asks Godric, “This means a lot to him doesn’t it?”  She can’t believe she will have a brother, but even if this doesn’t work the way they think it will, Eric will still be her brother.  That he is doing all this means more than she can tell anyone.

Leaning down so that his mouth is at her ear, his watches his Son as he tells her, “He has no way of contacting the few from his bloodline, and even if he did, he still could not have much to do with them.  His family, for all intents and purposes, is dead.  And while he will be happy after the Revelation if his family will accept him, even though they are his direct descendants, at this point they are at best a cousin branch of the family.  They do mean a lot to Eric, but to have a _sister_  again?”  He kisses her below her ear, noting the shudder she gives, and divulges to her, “You could give no greater gift to Eric.  And you will be actual family to him.  Once you do this, there are no take backs, as I think it is called.  Are you sure, a thaisce?”  He just wants to make sure she wants this.  No matter what, he didn’t think Eric would have her as anything but his sister.  But, if she is unsure, Godric will put this off for her.

Bella looks up at him and smiles.  “Of course I am.  To have a brother?  My mother doesn’t love me, nor does my father. But to have someone who loves me for me?  While I know and can feel that you do, it is nice to have someone else who wishes to do the same.” Her glee in this, the wonder of it all, is evident in her voice.  This is truly amazing to her.  She is blown away to not only have the love of the man holding her, but to have another man who, on the very day he meets her, do something so major as to claim her as his sister.

Eric’s voice above startles them both as he imparts to her, “And nothing makes me happier.  I miss family.  And you will be family in a way that Godric cannot be for me nor could Pamela.  I was raised with the expectations of large family.  My sons I grew to care for, loved them.  It would have been different if I had been with the family all these long years for me to care for my descendants that way.  I have taken care of them and they will not want for anything.  But for me to tell you what any of their names are at this point?  There is over a thousand years of nothing but time in between us.   You will be my family.  My Blood.  I can’t explain it to you.” He is looking down at her, his face openly showing how much he desires her as his sister, how very much this all means to him.

Staring up to him, she asks, “Isn’t Godric as your Maker your Blood, your family?  Pamela?” She is not denying him his joy, but she didn’t want him thinking she is his only family.  He has one, and she is only joining it.

He chuckles and crouches in front of her, ignoring Alcide and Sam who had entered the room with the square of grassy sod and the Goblet.  “Bella, you will BE my family.  Your name becomes my own as mine becomes yours.  This ritual will change your very DNA to have parts of me encoded into it as will my own.  We will not change physically, but if one of your human scientists were to ever test our blood, well, once they get over how different mine is, they will be able to see our family connection in it.  I cannot explain it, it is the magic of my Gods.” And with all these elements, how could it _not_ go right?  If it does, then he will pass it on to the worthy few who would be interested.

Biting her bottom lip, Bella asks, “And if I don’t believe in the same Gods?  Is it going to hurt our chances?” Again, she is trying to make sure that if this doesn’t go right, he isn’t too upset.

Shaking his head as he smiles down at her, “No.  But if you want to do this, we need to start.”  And with that he holds his hand out to her. He knows all too well what she is doing.  His lillasyster needs to get used to being the star of productions, and trust that there are more things out there than what she has been coached on yet.  This will be her first venture into the real world.

Bella looks up at him and doesn’t hesitate to put her own in his.  He pulls her to him, gives a little bow to her Mate, his Maker, and escorts her to the window.  “Are you ready?”

At her nod, he brings her to stand on the Earth with him.  He looks at everyone else and demands, “This ceremony is for these few to see or witness.  Swear on your Gods that you will not allow any particulars to pass your lips or hands to educate another on it.”  His fangs are bared by the end of this declaration.

The witnesses agree, swearing to their Gods to never allow the details out.  He turns to Bella and instructs her, “Bella, this is to become your heritage.  You will be the sister of the Royal Bloodline of the North Sea. Or, as we are named, the Kungligt blod raden i Nordsjön. As the head of our line, it is my privilege and honor to bring you into the Family.  It will be my duty and honor to tutor you in our language and legacy.  You will bring your uniqueness to our Family, and you will bring great honor.  You will bring back the birthright of our Family to light and show others alongside myself how the Northmans are honorable.  Your enemies are mine, your honor mine to defend.  You will be my sister in all ways, and my hearth will be open to you no matter what happens, as is your right.  I will listen to your opinions and consult with you as is your right from me, your brother, on any lovers you may wish to take.  I will clothe you with my own clothing and feed you from my own plate if we are ever without.  Your place will forever be cemented at my side for all of eternity.” He has a ghost of a smile, but mostly he uses his right as head of their Family, and as King of their subjects, to enact this holy ritual.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/goblet-1.jpg)

He holds out his hand and takes the Goblet from his Maker as he gives Bella a small smile.  “I swear by Freya, the patron Goddess of our Family line, and our Ancestor, that I will never turn my face from you.  If I ever fail at this, my time at Odin’s table will be forfeit for the rest of eternity as it should be for the transgression against Family. I swear this by the Blood that you will become Blood.”

With this oath, he uses a knife that Alcide hands him to cut open his palm. He watches the blood drip into the cup then looks up at his Lillasyster.  “Do you, Bella, promise to listen to my guidance, to allow me to care for you as Family should, to honor me as your Brother?” His eyes are intent, making her recall his earlier words.

Bella reaches her hand out, and with no hesitation, slices her palm on the knife and holds it over the cup. “I do.”

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/456643-hand-of-woman-and-hand-of-man-is-clasped-together-in-symbolic-strength-of-unity.jpg)

With a huge smile Eric clasps their hands together.  As their blood mingles though their cuts, a flash of light encompasses them as Eric intones, “Jag, Eric i den kungliga blod raden i Nordsjön, svär på vattnet i vårt blod, på jorden vi står på, luften ur våra lungor mingel tillsammans, på mycket sol som gör livet på jorden att jag kommer ära och vaka över min lillasyster för resten av evigheten. Må våra Bloods bli en under vår gudinna, Freja.” ( _I, Eric of the Royal Bloodline of the North Sea, do swear on the Water of our Blood, upon the Earth we stand upon, the Air from our lungs mingling together, and on the very Eternal Flame which allows Life onto the Earth ,that I will honor and watch over my little sister for the rest of Eternity.  May our Bloods become One under our Goddess, Freya_.)

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/freya-as-fire.jpg)

A being of fire appears before them and rests her hands on their joined hands and chants, “Jag accepterar ditt löfte och hädanefter kommer ditt blod att bli en. Jag svär också min krigare Eric att alltid skydda sin syster, Isabella. Hon är sin fars själsfrände och syster i hans själ. Så hon har alltid tänkt att vara, och detta är min gåva till krigare som har stått vid mig ett årtusende. Från och med nu, kommer varken gå rikena ensam.” _(I accept your pledge and hereafter will your blood become one.  I also swear my warrior Eric to always protect his sister, Isabella.  She is his father’s soulmate and the Sister of his soul.  So she has always meant to be, and this is my gift to the warrior who has stood by me for a millennium.  From here on out, neither will walk the realms alone.)_

And with that the being flares and disappears, leaving Bella and Eric standing there staring at each other in amazement as each feels the other become a part of them.  They know that it is as the woman had foretold, that they will never walk the world alone again.  They will always have each other, as brothers and sisters should.

Eric clears his throat and instructs Alcide as he gently tugs Bella from the grass, “Take the Goblet and the grass outside.  Before replacing the sod, pour the contents of the Goblet on the dirt and then place the sod back on it.”  This is the final component of the ritual, the part that binds them to the very Earth.

Alcide nods, his mind in shock from realizing that an actual Goddess had appeared before them, and leaves with Sam.  As they make their way out of the house and stand where they got the grass, he looks down at the Goblet and exclaims, “Fuck!”

Sam stops from leaning down to be ready to replace the sod, looks back at the husky man, and lifts his eyebrow.

Alcide looks at him and then slowly empties the Goblet that had held Eric’s and Bella’s blood.  Water poured forth from the Goblet onto the Earth.

 

 

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**Final count:  4,504 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	12. The World is Rising

 

# The World is Rising

**[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/beautiful-road-1.jpg) **

**Pre Edit Count -   2,854 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Undertow_ by Timbaland and feat the Fray & Esthero

 

 

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_Previous:_

_And with that the being flares and disappears, leaving Bella and Eric standing there staring at each other in amazement as each feels the other become a part of them.  They know that it is as the woman had foretold, that they will never walk the world alone again.  They will always have each other, as brothers and sisters should._

_Eric clears his throat and instructs Alcide as he gently tugs Bella from the grass, “Take the Goblet and the grass outside.  Before replacing the sod, pour the contents of the Goblet on the dirt and then place the sod back on it.”  This is the final component of the ritual, the part that binds them to the very Earth._

_Alcide nods, his mind in shock from realizing that an actual Goddess had appeared before them, and leaves with Sam.  As they make their way out of the house and stand where they got the grass, he looks down at the Goblet and exclaims, “Fuck!”_

_Sam stops from leaning down to be ready to replace the sod, looks back at the husky man, and lifts his eyebrow._

_Alcide looks at him and then slowly empties the Goblet that had held Eric’s and Bella’s blood.  Water poured forth from the Goblet onto the Earth._

_Now:_

 

 

* * *

Godric moves forward to take his precious Mate back in his arms and searches their Bond to see if anything has changed in the brief time they were apart.  Instead of finding that her health has worsened, he finds that things are frozen in a strange state of stasis.  He quickly looks up into his son’s face to see if he knows what is going on.

Eric stares at Bella with a look of amazement on his face.  In all the ceremonies he has attended to in his long life, this is the first time Freya herself has actually come down to bless the ceremony.  He has seen the Valkyries and other signs of favor, but never has she herself come down.

Then Eric frowns as he realizes he can feel Bella, and something inside him tells him that this isn’t a bond that they will need to renew.  He hesitantly asks Bella, “Lillasyster, how do you feel?”

In Godric’s arms she feels secure, and she opens her eyes to meet Eric’s worried gaze.  The rest of the room gasps as they take in her now matching blue eyes.

Ludwig snorts and says, “Well, I can see that making sense.”

Eric turns to her and lifts an eyebrow.   He has never seen any change in those who have received the Blood Oath before, why is Bella different?

Ludwig sighs and tells him bluntly, “You are all blue-eyed up there.  But I can tell you, the blue is a more appropriate color for her eyes being your sister.  And I bet she will now have blonde highlights in her hair.  If you were still living, you would show some signs, too.  But since Bella is, she will reflect the changes.  She is more your sister than she’s the daughter of her parents.  I bet there will be additional changes, too, since I can feel the magic in her from here.  Your Goddess personally blessed this Oath.  She only does that very rarely, and those she favors in such a fashion are blessed in some ways that are obvious, and in some ways that aren’t.”

Godric kisses Bella’s neck and inhales her scent.   While the basic part that attracts him is still there, she has a light scent of Eric in her also.  No one will notice it without being told, but once they know, it is obvious. “She smells as though she could be Eric’s sister.”  He laughs.  “Well I guess I don’t need to wonder anymore how the two of you are going to get along.”

Laughing with him, Bella tells him, “But you know, brothers and sisters fight….”

Glancing up toward the ceiling, Godric comments, “Couldn’t you have made them more mature when blessing them?”

The group laughs, but then Bella staggers in Godric’s arms.  Godric could feel his heart drop as he frantically searches their Bond.  He can feel Eric doing the same from his side.  They both wince in unison at the pain she’s suffering.  Godric opens his wrist and puts it to her lips, begging her, “Please take it, a Thaisce.”

Wincing at the incredible pain, she barely whispers, “2nd Bond.”

Eric’s eyes widen and he meets Godric’s look.

Godric does not hesitate and complies immediately with his shearc’s ( _love_ ) request and sinks his fangs in carefully, making sure she never feels any pain.

Both sigh as their Bond grows stronger, and Godric’s blood rushes to the needed area, healing the fragile veins in her brain that cause the pain she is feeling.  The substance retreats as it is unable to fight the combined forces of Godric’s blood and the Goddess’s blessing.

Watching the two people who are his family, Eric uses the Bond he now has with his syrra ( _sister, informal_ ) to monitor the process.  He and Godric both flinch from the burning in her arm.  His instincts cause him to strike and his fangs scrape against the bite mark and open it up.

Ludwig watches the odd-colored blood drip from her wrist and yanks Eric away from it.  She grabs a metal pan from her medical bag and catches the substance as it drips.  She hisses, “Get me something to try to collect it with to keep it from touching her skin!”

Eric scrambles and grabs a syringe from her bag and passes it to her, then hisses as he hears the substance sizzling in the pan.  “Knulla!” ( _Fuck!_ )

As Ludwig works, she tells Godric softly, “Milord, keep the wound open and let her drink as much as she can.  If it is ok with you, once this is drained, I will have Eric use his blood to close it up.”

Godric looks up into Eric’s eyes and sends his acceptance.  He is fighting his sexual need for his mate, using the pain he draws from her to help his control.  He realizes that when they finally do their third exchange, he’d better warn her about this facet of Bonding.  He never wants to hurt his Thaisce, and he is very aware that it will be her first time.

Eric quietly relays Godric’s acceptance as he watches with wide eyes the potency of the venom being displayed.  How the hell does it not tear through the veins of a human??? Unbeknownst to him, in his shock he actually states that aloud.

“It changes the veins as it goes.  That’s why her arm is colder in that place.  And in reality, I never thought of doing this since I didn’t think anything could break the skin to effectively ‘bleed’ her of the remaining venom.  Luckily one of your fangs punctured the skin and this makes it easier for us since neither one of us wants this stuff on her skin or any place else,” Ludwig explains as the three of them work on Bella.  Her attention is focused on the syringe that she methodically fills and empties it as she hurries to pull as much venom from her as she can before the venom eats through the syringe.

Eric nods as he concentrates on his Bond with Bella.  He and Godric look at each other as Godric stops drinking and seals the marks on his Mate.  Godric murmurs to Bella, “Drink, a thaisce, drink.  The good doctor and Eric are working on your arm.  You’re not hurting me, you can never hurt me…” He could feel her worry, and can feel it leaving as he addresses her concern.   He has no idea why or how he knew, but that is for another time. Right now he needs to concentrate on trying to heal her.

The next couple of minutes are spent doing the same thing over and over until Eric exclaims, “Thor!  How much of this damn stuff is there?” He can’t believe the amount of venom they are pulling from his syrra’s veins.  There is often blood mixed in the vial, but before their eyes it changes to venom.

Ludwig replies as she exchanges syringes once again, “It’s trying to replicate.  Exposing it to air and Godric’s blood are causing it to try to take over as it senses an attack to its host.  But something is still hampering it, though I think the Cold Ones being gone may have something to do with that.  But…one problem at a time.  Godric, how are you two doing?” She is concerned since she realizes that Bella is losing blood.  Others may think she is removing the venom, but she is aware that the blood is turning into venom and they are racing against time.  If Godric weren’t feeding her his blood, she would be seriously worried.  But Godric’s blood is helping her fight the venom to keep it from winning, and is the edge they have in this battle.  However, they are treading a very fine line.

Godric has been taking care of Bella, getting her to take breaks and breathe, and when the pain would return, he would give her his blood and absorb the pain into himself.  They are in a good rhythm, but he himself is starting to feel drained.  He didn’t want to take from his Mate as he saw the amount of blood they took in trying to extract the last of the venom.  He is very aware of what is going on as his blood tracks it all from the inside, but he doesn’t want to alarm any of them.

Watching his master, Eric grabs his cell and sends out a text.  This happens during one of Bella’s breaks so she is free to laugh weakly.  “Why do you text all the time?”  She has never seen him talk on the thing, but text on it, oh yes.

Looking up at her he smiles, “It’s faster, actually.  I just have to wait for the phone to catch up with my fingers then hit send.  Once this is over, I will send you one of these phones.  Godric, Pam and I have stocks in a company that is about to make a lot of money with these.  It will allow you to keep up with us.” The phones are made by Apple and are based on their iPhones, but are made for vampires. Their slightly cooler temperatures made it hard for the sensors to pick up their finger movements on the normal ones, plus these are much faster.  These new phones work for younger vampires, but for older vampires such as Eric and Godric, they are still slow.

During the conversation he had handed another syringe to the small doctor beside him, and threw the used one she handed back to him into the metal pan with the pile already there.  Ludwig had to take a few precious seconds to spell the pan so that the venom was contained.

Even so, she and Eric have been watching with a sick fascination as the venom dissolved everything.  Even the blood that had been pulled into the syringe with it was gone within seconds, often barely making it into the pan before it broke down the syringes.  She had spelled one syringe for her to study the venom in more detail later, but she is just sick as he is as they watch it bubbling away in the pan, only staying contained because of the magic.

Finally the doctor drew a full syringe that was mostly blood and tossed it to the side.  After making sure the next one was nothing but blood, she tosses it to Eric telling him, “Put that to the side.  I want to see if it is going to make a difference.   And heal her arm.” She quickly moves to the containers and spells each so that she can transport them with her.  She plans to test both, but she has a backup spell to cause the venom to burn if it escapes.  She hopes to grab a Cold One if needed for testing.  She has no doubt that Godric and Eric would help, in fact.

Godric chuckles at how fast his son moves to the brownie’s orders.  He has Bella take some more blood from him, and when she finishes, he kisses her brow where she is sweating from the all the pain.   “I’m sorry, a thaisce, but I feel no more pain around the area.  Do you?”  He is sure, and can even see the scar staring to heal from his blood.  Some scarring remains, however, and he is not happy about it.  Now, though, with his blood she should be able to do anything she needs to do before he has to drain and turn her.  It is the best outcome for this situation, and he will give her blood to make sure this is done.

Bella shakes her head, then asks quietly, “But I do have one question… Why do I have all these strange phrases in my head? Is it because of the Bond?”  Her mind is whirling with all the new stuff she can in there.

The three look at each other, but before they can say anything, Pam walks in with some bags of blood. “Matmodern pappa är vaken och är krävande om sin rätt att se sin dotter, säger att han kommer att sparka ut alla om han inte ser henne snart. Han är ett hål, Mästare, och jag kan inte vänta tills han möter dig.” ( _The Mistress’s father is awake and being demanding of his right to see his daughter, saying that he will kick everyone out if he doesn’t see her soon.  He is a bore, Master, and I cannot wait until he meets you_.) With a little bow she hands the bags to Godric.

Surprising them all, Bella sighs.  “Godric, it looks like I may need to take you up on your offer.  If he is demanding to see me, this cannot end well.  And I don’t want to stay here…”

They all gape at her, then Eric carefully asks, “Lillasyster, förstår du vad jag säger?” ( _Little sister, do you understand what I am saying?_ )

Bella gives him an odd look.  “Yes…?”  Why is he asking her that?

Godric laughs in delight. “The Blessing was for more than the physical changes.  She is your little sister in every way.  I bet if you reach far back enough, you will find that she can even understand your local language, not just the merchant language.  I can’t wait to see what else you two have been blessed with.”  He grins, the mischief on his face obvious as he watches Eric stand there shell-shocked.  For once, Eric is not being fast on his feet.

Pam just exclaims, “Fuck a zombie!” She stares at the woman before her.  This is Godric’s mate?  What has happened?  There was nothing in their information that said she knew any languages besides English.

When he feels Bella’s confusion, Godric kisses her throat and tells her, “The Goddess blessed you two with far more than a simple DNA change.  She has made it so that Eric doesn’t need to teach you a thing because all that information is now already in your head. My love, you are truly Blessed and a thaisce to more than me.  But as I promised, I will treasure you above all.”  He looks at her with adoration clear in his face.  And he wonders…did the Goddess give her everything?  He hopes so, since it will help them all if she knows what she needs to know about the Supe world.

This woman is not only his Mate, already a rare happenstance, but she is now Blessed by Eric’s Goddess, who is now her patron Goddess.  She is also his Son’s sister in every way.  He smirks; Pam is in for a world of change.  She is not the center of her Maker’s eye anymore.  There is someone else, and he does not think she will take kindly to his attention not being focused solely on her or Godric anymore.  She barely tolerates him as it is.

Eric chuckles.  “Well this doesn’t change much, other than you won’t need to spend time learning our language, little one.  But for now, let’s deal with your father.  Are you sure you wish to take Godric up on his offer?”  He wants to make sure he is hearing this right.  If so, it will be much easier to deal with his Queen.  He will be only minutes away from his Area and can travel back and forth much quicker.  Although she is a selfish bitch, there really isn’t much she can do about Godric calling him to his side.

Her nod of agreement makes the two smile, but the sorrow and relief that come through their bonds saddens the joyful occasion.  With that in mind, Eric informs Pam, “Change of plans.  Pack up everything here, and have the plane ready for departure for tomorrow.  Godric will want to explore the Cold One’s place before we leave, and I suspect we will spending some time there.  Also, call Isabel and have her get everything ready.”  He will be staying there as long as possible, and sending Pam back to Shreveport.

Bella speaks up, “Pam, don’t worry about the clothes.  Most of them are not mine.  Or rather I should say that they’re not what I would buy.”  She shudders in distaste of anything that Alice bought her.  She likes her own style and while she will be buying clothes, she suspects it will be better than any time before.

Ludwig clears her throat and tells them, “I recommend that as little as possible comes.  This will be painful, but the farther she is removed from the scent, the better it will be with her.”

Looking around the room, Bella moves away and grabs a few books, along with some pictures.  She frowns as she opens her album and curses, “Knulla!”

Godric is by her side in a second and asks, “What is wrong?” He holds her to him and rests his head on her shoulder as he looks at what she’s holding.

She is still thumbing through the pages she had added just recently. “He removed all the pictures.  How asinine is he??  Like the goddamn scar on my arm would let me forget them!?” Her anger is building, and it makes Eric stop and watch her as he is amazed at her emotions.  Plus, this is his sister.  Godric can comfort her, but if she needs him, he is here for her.

Godric pulls her even closer to him.  “I am sorry, a ghra. I will endeavor to find them and get your things back.  Plus I need to talk to them anyway…”  There is no hint of his true intentions in his voice or demeanor.

Bella snorts, “Talk to them. Don’t lie to me, Godric.” She looks over at him.  She is smiling, but her eyebrow is arched in question.

“Oh, I am not lying, a ghra.  I will talk, as your brother tortures him.  I think this is fitting.  After all, I don’t want to take a chance and have any of their venom on me when I come back to you.”  The smirk on Godric’s face is enough to allow Bella to see he is fully intends to exact revenge for her.  And if Eric’s and Pam’s faces are any indication, they are looking forward to it also…though Pam is looking confused as she tries to understand the brother comment.

Eric’s smirk gets bigger. “Well, let’s head downstairs and see what the Chief has to say.  I am quite interested what this man has to say about how he treated my sister….”

He ignores Pam’s shocked face as they quickly come up with a plan.

 

 

* * *

Charlie paces back and forth in the living room, and repeatedly glares up at Bella’s room.  Alcide and Sam have been quietly placing bets on the outcome of this, and on Charlie’s reaction to Eric.

Sam himself had been surprised by the size of Godric’s Child.  He could not have anticipated such a polar opposite to Godric if he had tried.

Actually, there have been many surprises here lately.  The Ceremony he had been allowed to see…and when he had felt the Goddess who had come down to bless Bella’s and Eric’s Oath?  Tahki Aki!!  That was almost enough to him to start following Eric’s Goddess himself!  The power in that being!   And…what she said to him in his head, “All beliefs are real.  Follow your heart and you will never be wrong.”  The last straw had been when Eric’s and Bella’s blood, that he had smelled and witnessed with his own eyes being deposited into the cup, was turned to water.

With that in mind, he is going to use his power as Alpha to orchestrate a treaty with Godric.  He will bring it up as soon as he can, since he doesn’t think this fight will be come out well for Charlie.  But it is time for the man to learn some hard truths, and nothing in the way he has behaved since Bella has come here has helped her, really.  It has done nothing but leave her in a holding pattern.

He, for one, will be happy to learn more about the world, and he is already pleased to know that their tribe is not the “be all, end all” that the Elders try to force them to believe.  This way, if Godric can come up with a way to help them guard the tribe, then they can at least be with him and his Bloodline.  It may also create a way out for some of the more rebellious wolves who are mad about the reason that they now have to stay.  It is time for him to be Chief and start facing the Elders.

He looks up as he hears the light sound of steps, and then grins as he and Alcide trade looks.  Here it begins…

Eric heads out first as he wants to confront and intimidate the man downstairs.  He, Godric, and Bella have talked about how to handle her father, with Ludwig adding her input as well.  He and Godric will be moving at vampire speed with Godric holding and moving Bella with him.  When they reach the bottom, Godric and Eric will be in front, Pam will be beside Bella, and hopefully Alcide will take his place beside her.  Ludwig will watch from the balcony seats.

He smiles as he sees the Shifter and the Werewolf look up at them.  Then the Shifter almost jumps out of his skin as Eric and the rest make their way vamp speed down the stairs.  Eric notes the surprise and will talk later to the Shifter.

Eric’s attention is focused on the man standing before him staring up at him in shock. He can’t help his cocky grin as he speaks to this man who has helped make his sisters life miserable.

“So Chief Swan, I heard you wanted to meet me.”

 

 

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**Final count:  3,902 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	13. Harder To Find What’s Right

# Harder to Find What’s Right

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**Pre Edit Count -   3,437 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Dance with the Devil_ by Breaking Benjamin

 

 

* * *

_Previous:_

_He looks up as he hears the light sound of steps, and then grins as he and Alcide trade looks.  Here it begins…_

_Eric heads out first as he wants to confront and intimidate the man downstairs.  He, Godric, and Bella have talked about how to handle her father, with Ludwig adding her input as well.  He and Godric will be moving at vampire speed with Godric holding and moving Bella with him.  When they reach the bottom, Godric and Eric will be in front, Pam will be beside Bella, and hopefully Alcide will take his place beside her.  Ludwig will watch from the balcony seats._

_He smiles as he sees the Shifter and the Werewolf look up at them.  Then the Shifter almost jumps out of his skin as Eric and the rest make their way vamp speed down the stairs.  Eric notes the surprise and will talk later to the Shifter._

_Eric’s attention is focused on the man standing before him staring up at him in shock. He can’t help his cocky grin as he speaks to this man who has helped make his sisters life miserable._

_“So Chief Swan, I heard you wanted to meet me.”_

_Now:_

 

 

* * *

Charlie is just staring at the huge man in front of him.  This is in no way how he pictured Godric’s Childe.  If anything, this is exactly the opposite of what he imagined.  He swallows as his eyes travel all the way up to meet the eyes of the man before him.

 

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The “child” easily tops six feet, but gives the impression of being almost a foot taller than that.  He is lithe, but there is no doubting his muscles since he is wearing a black racer top along with black cargo pants.  His blond hair is almost to his shoulders, and his piercing blue eyes are staring straight back at him.

There is no doubt that this is a man who has seen war, and with his bearing, Charlie couldn’t help but wonder who this man had been before he was changed.  He is intimidating to say the least, but in a completely different way than Godric.

You definitely have a sense of years with this man.  Here, Charlie’s eyes are not telling him one thing while his senses are telling him something different.   No, the man before him is a threat.  His instincts are screaming that the man before him is a clear and very present danger to him.

Eric stares at the man before him, and fights a grin.  He had been busy the night before, and one of the things he’d managed to do was to buy the mortgage on this home since this would allow the three of them to be here without worrying about permissions.  He had planned on gifting the mortgage to Bella, but instead will hold it over this man’s head in case he tries anything.  This will also make it easier for Bella to come back later for things she might be forgetting just now.  Plus, the mortgage was easy to transfer since Godric already owned the mortgage company.

Charlie finally takes a breath, not noticing the looks of glee among the observers or Godric, who already has an arm around his Mate as he can feel her worry.  He is ready to do whatever it takes to protect her, and pulls her close as he has a bad feeling about this meeting.  He thinks back to the meeting with this man the previous day, and wonders how things had morphed to this level.

Reminding himself of what he’s facing, Charlie rises to his full height, wincing internally as that did not even top Godric’s height, and demands, “And who are you?” He pulls on all of his years as a cop to try to face down this vampire in front of him.

A slow grin crosses Eric’s face as he answers proudly, “My name is Eric Northman.  I am Godric’s Childe, Pam’s Maker and the Goddess-blessed _elder_ brother of Bella?”

“Bella?  _My Bella?_ ” The pure indignation in his voice lets them know what he picked up from Eric’s introduction of himself.

Eric rocks on his feet a little, amused at this man in front of him.  “ _Godric’s_  Bella, my sister.  She agreed to the oath, and in front of these witnesses, the Goddess blessed it.  But, in reality, this is nothing.  You have never had a claim to Bella, and I have negated the little you did have by taking her under my House.  She is in my care, as you and your ex-wife have failed to even follow the vaguest ideas of caring for a child.” _And she is way above you and your pathetic posturing!_  Eric is extremely proud of adding Bella to his family.  He will be toasted in Valhalla for the deed of adding such a valuable and perfect member to his family as soon as he found her.

Charlie’s face gets even darker, making many of them wonder if he will have a fit in front of them.  Alcide hopes not, even though he can hear the quiet cackles from Ludwig above them as she watches from the balcony.  The man in front of them doesn’t deserve to skip out on everything _that_ easy.

Bella leans more into Godric as she looks at him.  She has no idea why he is so upset, and seeks comfort in her Mate.  She can feel the care and love he is pushing on her, making sure she is aware of how much he cares for her, and how this only matters as much as she wishes it to.  He and Eric have already told her she is welcome to stay with them.

Eric, feeling his syrra _(the more familiar form of sister)_ craving comfort, glances quickly behind him, and then looks back to the man in front of him.  He raises an eyebrow at the man and quietly states, “Chief Swan, I recommend you calm down, or else this ‘talk’ will be ending shortly.” His tone told the other man that he’s bored, but that he will do as he claims:  end this confrontation without any hesitation.  Eric’s personal glee in making the man angry so easily is well hidden.

Charlie clenches his jaw but works to calm himself.  He needs everything he can use, so he can make sure Bella stays here.  She belongs here, not with dead people.  Her future is here, finishing school and then going on to college.  This is what she will be doing. He nods to himself as he plans out the life of the woman in front of him.

Eric studies the man and sends comfort to Bella, and also a little bit of caution to her and Godric.  He does not want them surprised by what will be happening.  He is sure that Charlie is going to find out why his Maker is one of the most feared vampires in the world.  He himself will be taking out some of his anger, too.  But he wants the man to bring himself down so that Bella will be justified in how she feels.  Unfortunately, it will be better for all of them if she can leave this behind.  Her future doesn’t include the people in this town anymore…

Finally calm enough, Charlie tells Eric, “Mr. Northman, what right do you think you have to be criticizing me and the way I treat Bella?   I promise you it has to be better than you ever treated a woman.” He can just imagine how a barbarian like the man in front of him treated his women.  He is too big to be anything but a barbarian.

Godric chuckles.  This will be interesting. He can just imagine what the man in front of him thinks of Eric.  But to make that kind of statement to one of the more progressive cultures of the times?  They treated their women, and even their thralls, better than most did.

Straightening to his full height, Eric looks down at the man below him, “Excuse me?” He is attempting to keep a calm façade as he tries not to laugh in Charlie’s face. The images of his past come to mind, and he has a light smile on his lips as he realizes that Bella will remember that time from him, and he hopes that she will remember enough that sometime they can talk about it.  Suddenly he yearns to be able to speak his mother tongue with someone else, to be able to talk to someone about his childhood, about growing up.  He realizes that this is what Bella is, she is his sister, his confidant in the future of his past. He reflects on all this as he waits for the Chief’s answer.

Charlie snorts.  “You heard me.  Bella is treated better than anyone else.  I let her have the freedom she’s used to from Renee.  All I expect of her is that she have dinner on the table, that the house is clean, and that the laundry is done.  She is also expected to keep her grades up as well as not participating in anything that would get her trouble with the law.  Other than that, she can do as she wishes.”

His hands clasped behind him as he listens to the man in front of her, Eric nods.  “Of course.  As long as she keeps your house, prepares your food, and keeps her studies up, what more can a woman ask for?”

Relaxing slightly as he thinks the man in front of him agrees with him, Charlie nods.

Eric then lifts an eyebrow to the man.  He states, “So she is your thrall.”

Charlie looks confused as he repeats, “Thrall?”

Nodding his head, Eric explains, “Your slave.  The duties you have told me were hers are the same as a thrall in my household would hold.  My wife was in charge of the thralls, making sure they do their duties, learning our customs so that they can be gainful to my house.  She was in charge of everything, while I was aviking.  She made sure that the food was gathered and ruled in my stead.  My daughter, had I lived long enough for one, would have helped her, learning from her mother how to govern, until she was old enough for marriage.  Then, she would come to me and her brothers to discuss who she wanted to marry.  If I was not there, she would have had the right to marry the third of her brother’s choices, marrying of her preference.  But neither of these fit with what you have said of Bella.” His eyes darken as he cannot comprehend his sister being used as a slave.  Her blood oath raised her to the level of a villager.  Her oath being accepted by the Goddess of his house elevated her to his rank before his father died.

Charlie is sputtering, but his mind is picking up key phrases.  He demands, “And what would you do with Bella?”

Shaking his head slightly, Eric tells him, “I have already done it.  She is my sister; the Patron Goddess of our Line has blessed our oath herself.  Bella holds the right to pick her own lover, who I have already approved of and made sure she is aware of this fact.  I will also be taking over her care since you think of her as a thrall, and as my sister, she is nowhere near the class of a slave.  I will also approve Godric’s suit since he will treat her the way she should be treated.  This I do as my sacred duty as her brother.  I have been her brother for less than a day, and I have already fulfilled many of my duties by talking with her and listening to her choices.”

Snarling at Eric, Charlie‘s lips actually pulled back from his teeth. “She is too young to make those types of choices for her life. No, she will stay here.  I do not recognize whatever a God dammed goddess-blessed-blood-oath is.  It has no legal bearing and I am her father.  She will stay right where she is.”

A side of Eric’s mouth lifts up.  “How can you say that she is able to have no guidance in her life from you, but yet not make a decision on her life?  Chief Swan, you are contradicting yourself.  Can Bella make decisions or not?”

“Of course she can’t make that type of decision!  I am her father, she came here to live under my roof, and she will obey my orders.”

Bella cringes away from her father; Godric by this time has pulled her into his arms.  A light growl vibrates through him.  He is well aware of Eric’s building anger, as well as his own.  He was a Chieftain of his tribe, a King by today’s standards.  Eric himself was a King when he died.  Bella is now, by the standards of Eric’s people, a princess, and as _his_  Mate, a queen in her own right.  He will soon be taking the steps necessary to elevate her to the highest position that he can bestow upon her.  She deserves nothing less.

But having this man in front of them speaking so dismissively of her ignites an anger in both of them.  She has proven herself far beyond the customs of this time, much less theirs!

Eric asks, calm on the outside, “How old is Bella?” His jaw is set.

Charlie looks taken aback.  “What does that have to do with anything?”

Eric pierces him with his gaze as he repeats, “How old is Bella?”

Shaking his head in confusion, Charlie answers, “18.”

Nodding his head, Eric states, “And by the laws of the United States, she is of age to make her own decisions.” And that truly is the last thing the man in front of him can say.  One way or another they will be taking Bella from this hell on earth.

“She is still in High School!  She can’t make any such decisions on her own.”  Charlie cannot understand why this man is arguing with him about this.  What does it matter to him what happens to Bella?

Calm as only he can be, Eric informs him, “She is of age to vote, of age to become a member of your military, of age to make her own decisions by the law you, yourself, represent.  But in reality, she has already made many key decisions in her own life without needing or even having your input in them since she was five years old.”

Eric speaks calmly as he leans over the smaller man, but his anger is starting to leak through as he continues to instruct Charlie, “When she was five, she was making decisions on bills, on what to pay and how to figure a budget.  In Godric’s time, and even in mine, she would be playing with her dolls still.  At seven, she was doing odd jobs to bring in what money she could to help pay for those bills and food.  At that age she would be playing with the villagers as that same village watched over her.  She was doing adult actions, and making adult decisions, long before she ever came here.”

His eyes flash as he looms over the smaller man in front of him. “When she came here, you did nothing to acknowledge her besides buying her a vehicle that she has had to dip into her own savings to pay for the gas to run _your_ errands, to buy _your_  groceries.  She used the money that she should have been able to use to buy clothes or other things girls her age buy, or even save for college.  Instead, she is thinking that, on top of everything _else_ she is doing, that it is time for her to get a job. And the worst part?  She is trying to convince us that this is right.”

Charlie stares at him. “And why isn’t it?  I bought that damn truck so she can make her way to school, and do what needs to be done around here.  She needed to show the community that she wasn’t like her mother, that she is responsible.  This was a way for her to do so.  She should have gotten a job by now, but that damn Cullen took up too much of her time.  But I allowed it since he was from what I thought was a good family.” The taste of that decision still leaves a bad taste in his mouth.  He had thought that the son of a doctor would be a safe boyfriend; he may even have gotten money from the man.  They had plenty…

Eric’s eyes narrow.  He is getting the nasty thought that Bella’s father did not take her in for the reason they had all thought… He glances behind him at Godric, and can see his eyes going dark too as he catches on to what Eric is thinking.

Charlie, though, doesn’t know when to shut up. “I allowed her to come here to get away from her mother.  I allowed her to stay here, not paying rent.  I did what was expected of a single father in this town to take care of the daughter that had been thrust into my keeping.  And here is where she will stay.  She ran away once and I am still dealing with that mess.  And then now, not even a half a year later, she runs away again, and I had to have a search party formed to find her ass.  Now she’s bringing dead things into the house, and snuggling up to one.  No way is this going to happen with my permission!”  By the end he is yelling.

Eric glares at him, his fangs dropping halfway through Charlie’s rant.  He also hears Godric’s and Pam’s fangs drop, and Alcide’s and Sam’s growling.  “Allowed? Did what was expected of a single father?  Are you thinking this makes you her father, much less in the running for father of the year?”

A quiet voice says, “No, he is running for Sheriff.  It is election year, isn’t it…Daddy.”  The heartbreak as she realizes that she is nothing more to the man than a gimmick causes both Eric and Godric to snap.

Eric snarls as he grabs the man in front of him, “You took her in because of a fucking election?  _That_ is why you don’t want her to leave?  So you don’t ruin your chances at a piece of shit town’s election of Sheriff?   There is probably no one here who would even run against you!  You treated my sister like your slave so that the town would think better of you!”

He tosses Charlie into his chair, not wanting to accidently kill the man. “You don’t deserve the name of father, much less Bella’s!”

Charlie sputters, then gloats when he recalls something he was told last night.  He yells at them, “I rescind your invitation!”

And when nothing happens, Eric gives a fangy smile of satisfaction.  “I forgot to mention, your mortgage company sold your mortgage last night.  It is now mine, and under Bella’s name. It took some legal maneuvering, but it was well worth the expense.” His eyes gleam with satisfaction.

Before he could say anything else, Bella is in his arms, and Godric is now in front of Charlie.  He is growling, his entire bearing changed into that of the vampire Eric had seen for the first time over his funeral pyre.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/death.png)

Godric is seeing red because of his rage.  His Mate’s pain has become too much to bear and he wants revenge for her.  Her ideas were proven as fact as she realizes that the only reason her father wanted her to come was to get one over on her mother and to help win his election.  He didn’t really care if she stayed or left so long as appearances were kept.  Thinking that her father didn’t love her wasn’t the same thing as knowing it.

Godric looks Charlie in the eye and he tells him, “You will never contact Bella.  Ever.  You don’t deserve her.  If she needs a guardian in this world, Eric will be that.  You were given a gift from the very gods, and instead of treating her the way you should have, you have torn out her heart.  No one should ever learn that their parents actually do not want or care for them other than to use them to get themselves ahead.  It is truly sad that I am glad she spent so much time with the Cold Ones.  Even though it is killing her now, she at least had them around to feel like she was involved with a loving family.  For all that she feels as though she didn’t fit in, I still know that she had more affection from them than she ever got from you or your ex-wife.”

Godric grins, but it isn’t a pleasant sight for the very frightened Chief.  “But all that ends now.  Bella is Eric’s sister in all ways.  She is my Mate.  In the world that is about to become real for the rest of the planet, she is _mine_.  Eric will be her guide, her family in ways you have never been to her.  And between the two of us, she will never want for anything again.”

Then his eyes narrow as he forces his glamour upon the man. “You will never tell anyone about us, nor will you do anything to point out our existence before the reveal.  After the revelation, you will never speak ill of us. If anyone asks about Bella, you will tell them nothing but that she has decided to go to Philadelphia to finish school.  If pressed for details, tell them anything you like, but never mention ill of her.  If I _ever_ find out you have brought attention to us in a negative way, or tried to demean or contact Bella in any fashion, including directing people to us, I will come back here and flay you alive.  I will make sure you survive, but each time Eric and I need to come back to punish you, it will become progressively worse.  And as we have both survived thousands of years and the tortures that one can visit upon the alive _and_  the undead, we can be very…creative.  Do you understand me, Chief Swan?”

Bella is staring at him, hidden in Eric’s arms as he has her wrapped up.  He murmurs to her in what she guesses is now their mother tongue, but she is feeling so lost in this world that has gone so much more wrong than she has ever deserved.

She is lost in her pain as Godric makes him repeat back the glamour, and as Pam tests it out.  Then Godric backs away from her father, still clenching his fists, but reminding himself that Bella will not forgive him or Eric at this point of time if they do much more than this.  She may tell herself and them otherwise, but his Mate is too gentle hearted to allow much else to happen to him. He had to be satisfied with the fear he smells from the man, as well as the scent of the Chief pissing himself.

He turns to his Mate and son, and nods to the rest.  Soon the house is full of activity as they get ready to vacate the premises.  Eric hands Bella back to him, and blurs out of the room.  Godric carries Bella out to his car and carefully sits in the passenger seat with her in his lap.  He nuzzles her as he pushes his love and concern to her through their bond.

Soon Eric sits down in the driver’s seat of his Bugatti, and tosses a bag on the floor by Godric’s feet.  He answers to his Maker’s raised eyebrow, “I hunted through her room to see if there was anything else.  I noticed a floorboard that had been loosened and when I looked into it, I saw that.  It looked like it was what she had been missing.  I sealed it in a bag Dr. Ludwig gave me for her to look through later.  I will send Pam back at some point to gather pictures and anything else she may want.  I also glamoured the father to not destroy anything until we are able to return.”

At his nod, they both understand.  This is her human life, and she will want reminders at some point.  And unlike the rest of them, she can have them.

Godric asks, “Are we following someone?” They need to go to the Cullen’s house, the last errand they have in this god-forsaken town.

As Eric backs the car out, he nods to the side where Sam is in the van with the others, “He will take us.  Pam has already called to have the jet ready for when we are done.  I hate flying when at rest, but the sooner we are gone…”

Godric nods.  He holds his Mate as they make their way to where the Cold Ones had lived.  It is time for some answers.

 

 

* * *

**Final count, 4,223 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	14. Resignation To The End

 

# Resignation to the End

**[](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/beautiful-road.jpg)**

**Pre Edit Count -   3,182 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Somebody I Used to Know_ by Gotye (feat. Kimbra)

 

 

* * *

_Previous:_

_He turns to his Mate and son, and nods to the rest.  Soon the house is full of activity as they get ready to vacate the premises.  Eric hands Bella back to him, and blurs out of the room.  Godric carries Bella out to his car and carefully sits in the passenger seat with her in his lap.  He nuzzles her as he pushes his love and concern to her through their bond._

_Soon Eric sits down in the driver’s seat of his Bugatti, and tosses a bag on the floor by Godric’s feet.  He answers to his Maker’s raised eyebrow, “I hunted through her room to see if there was anything else.  I noticed a floorboard that had been loosened and when I looked into it, I saw that.  It looked like it was what she had been missing.  I sealed it in a bag Dr. Ludwig gave me for her to look through later.  I will send Pam back at some point to gather pictures and anything else she may want.  I also glamoured the father to not destroy anything until we are able to return.”_

_At his nod, they both understand.  This is her human life, and she will want reminders at some point.  And unlike the rest of them, she can have them._

_Godric asks, “Are we following someone?” They need to go to the Cullen’s house, the last errand they have in this god-forsaken town._

_As Eric backs the car out, he nods to the side where Sam is in the van with the others, “He will take us.  Pam has already called to have the jet ready for when we are done.  I hate flying when at rest, but the sooner we are gone…”_

_Godric nods.  He holds his Mate as they make their way to where the Cold Ones had lived.  It is time for some answers._

_Now:_

 

 

* * *

Eric follows the van as Sam directs them to the Cullen’s house.  He shakes his head in contempt that the house was well known to the locals, but it does seem as though it is difficult to find the turn off.  He looks over to his syrra sitting in Godric’s lap and his heart hurts.

If he could, he wouldn’t expose her to them again, but Godric is right: they need to go through the house to familiarize themselves with the scents, and see what  they can turn up with a quick toss of the house.  He also will be sending others back at a later date to search the house more thoroughly for them.

He can see how this might be painful to his syrra, but right now, answers are needed. Plus he really wants to see a certain room, hoping to leave it destroyed.

He smoothly handles the car, and at any other time would have loved driving it.  But this was not the right time for him to be enjoying himself.  Though he will never admit to loving any car other than his beloved corvettes.  Those cars had impressed him when they had first come out, and he often upgrades when the cars improve.

But his maker loves the fast cars, and always gets one sent to him when he decides to get a new one.  He also loves to speed.  Eric has no idea how many tickets he has glamoured himself out of so far.  It is getting trickier with the cameras that are often mounted on the dashboards, but Godric thinks it is great fun to work himself out of it.  He also doesn’t care about the mileage he adds to the machines, saying that if he wanted a collector’s edition, then he would just add to his show cars.

Which reminds Eric that he will need to gently remind his beloved Maker that they’ll need to make provisions for transportation for Bella.  If they don’t get her a car of her own, which would depend on her pain levels, then they will need to get her one that will seat more than two…no matter now comfy Godric is with his syrra on his lap.  He starts musing over cars he needs towed to his lineup in case his syrra comes to him.  Even with all these thoughts in his head, Eric is still maneuvering the car up the Cullen’s long twisty drive.  When the house breaks out of the trees, Eric quickly maneuvers the car into park and surveys the area in front of him.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/twilight-hoke-house3.jpg)

Then Eric looks up to the house and just stares at it.  He finally comments, “And Cold Ones lived here?  Didn’t they worry about the windows?” Those same windows scream at him about how close dawn is coming and that he would not be safe there.  Plus, his instincts are not wanting him to go in there.  If it weren’t for his syrra, he would leave and tell his Maker about this bad feeling.

The house is unique to say the least, but both vampires shudder at all the windows that are showing.  Their instincts for the last combined 3,000-plus years are warning them that they would meet their ends here if seen in the daytime.

Even if it weren’t for their natural aversion to so many windows, the house was still much too exposed for Eric’s tastes.  There were too many ways in.  And with the forest being so close, there were too many ways predators could approach for it to be securely guarded in any way or form. He prefers to be able to detect enemies who somehow actually make it to his home so that he could more easily destroy them.  As it is, Eric glances at Godric and meets his eyes over his syrra’s head.   This is not going to be easy for either of them.

And a small voice suddenly comes from Bella. “It’s hidden from any humans coming across them accidentally and where they could be themselves.  That’s what Edward told me.”

They both look at her.  Godric tells her softly, “You don’t have to go in, a thaisce.  We can go through the house without you.”

She takes a deep breath. “But it will help you if I came along.” Her blue eyes are staring at the house, the exact shade of her brother’s at the moment, and her instincts are telling her the same things as her elder brother’s are.  This house is not safe.  Be wary.

He kisses her head, “I won’t lie to you.  It will be helpful, but I really don’t give a damn about that if you don’t want to go. You are my first concern.  What do you want to do?” Godric has already laid out how he wishes to treat his Mate, and this is another example.  She is more than able to make her own decisions.

She looks up at the house, then reaches over and opens the door.  Before she can leave the vehicle, Eric is there holding his hand out.

She looks up at him, “Gentleman?  Really?” She just cannot help teasing Eric.  It’s not like he makes it hard for her!

He grins at her, “Of course, lillasyster.  I need to set the standard high for Godric.  I am a firm believer of showing by example.” He waggles his fingers for her to take his hand.

She rolls her eyes at him as she takes his hand to get out.  Once she is out of Godric’s lap, he is beside her, offering his arm.  She smiles up at him as she takes his arm.  Eric smiles at her and walks beside them as they head up the stairs to the house.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/twilight-saga-house-0.jpg)

Bella didn’t think the door would be unlocked, yet Eric opens it easily.  But when she looked up at him, he grins. “You would think they would have stronger locks.” An impertinent grin on his face shows his amusement.

She snorts. “They acted so human that they probably thought it was enough.” Though she does wonder that it is so easy for others to get in.  Did they just not know about the presence of others Supes?

Godric shakes his head.  “Our doors are not so easily gotten through. We have so many to protect ourselves from…”

Frowning as the information floats up to the forefront of her mind, “Silver for vampires and weres, iron for fairies, mercury for witches?”

Smiling as they walk in, Godric murmurs, “And so the blessings continue.  Yes, a thaisce.   Those are all things we protect from.  Normally the doors will be steel with silver in it to prevent a vampire from gaining entrance.  We also have large resting areas.  But we will discuss this on the plane.  I will also show you our homes and you can choose which one you wish to have as our residence.”

Eric looks around, but he is also watching Bella. He wonders if all the information he has is now hers to access.  He doesn’t mind, since as his actual Blood relative, she has as much right to all of it as he does.  It would be different if he had a Mate, but not much.  As it is, he will be arranging many accounts for her, just as he knows Godric will.  Neither will take a chance with her; she is precious to them both, and they will treat her as such. Now that she is theirs, there is no chance that she won’t be well cared for.  Though Eric is saddened by the thought that if anything were to happen to one, the longer they’re bonded, the sooner the other one would follow.  He would not only lose his syrra, but also his father and brother.

Bella is now lost in all the information she is suddenly finding in her head.  She wonders at Eric’s mind, and if this is all from the Goddess giving it to her. She also marvels at how it is all organized.  While her brain is not what she would consider normal,  the the way it is all organized and available to her is so similar that it’s kind of funny.   She wonders if the way she thinks is different now, or if she and Eric had always thought in a similar fashion.

Godric studies the house around him.  He takes note of the structure, knowing from his many years on this earth that the homes often give hints of his adversaries.  And they became his adversaries the day he realized who his Mate is and what they did to her.  He doesn’t care why they did it, though he will be finding out for her as he knows it is one of her questions.  They will suffer for the pain that she is going through, and for the fact that she is still fighting for her life even with his blood and Eric’s strike that helped drain the venom from her arm.  Finally, they will suffer for the sheer fact that he and his Mate are not being given the time to begin a relationship that will span millenniums.

He looks down at Bella to make sure that she is fine and catches Eric doing the same.  She had been strangely quiet since they entered. They both look at each other, then back down to the small woman in between them. They calmly wait for her to lead them where they need to be.

Taking a deep breathe, she asks them, “Where would you like to start?” She notices that the cross is down, but that the collage is not of the Graduation caps.  Other things catch her attention as if her mind is trying to tell her something.

Godric squeezes her hand on his arm while Eric bows to her and teases her, “Lead the way, syrra.”

Shaking her head as she asks, “Syrra already?” She glances at Eric out of the side of eyes as she leads them on the tour she herself had months ago.  She smiles as she sees his sly grin and his own look at her.

Godric leans down, “Just wait… Now that you know his language, he will be searching for names to call you.” He can’t help himself and kisses her nose.  He cannot explain the feeling he has with this little woman.  She is just as he told her: it is as though his very dreams have been given form in this woman.  And her brain and her heart?  These are things he finds himself falling more and more into her.

 

 

 

 

Smiling, she sighs, then proceeds to give them the same tour Edward gave to her so many months ago. She quickly moves to show them everything, leaving the bedrooms for last.  Edward’s, because she is not sure how to feel about going in there, but she knows her two vampires would be eager to ‘search’ the room.  Carlisle’s, because she knows the leader of the coven may or may not have information Godric wishes to have.  And Jasper’s…  She has no idea why, but she has this feeling that it will have something in it.

Pamela and the others make their way into the house and take note of the rooms that Bella has pointed out.  Once the tour is over, the three of them are in Jasper’s library.  This is the first of the rooms Bella has felt a need to look over for herself.

Bella frowns as she looks around the room.  The room has no mention of Alice in it at all, in fact, it is what she had imagined would be his when they had been in Arizona and she had wondered about her guardian.

Eric is over by the bookshelves, studying them.  From what Bella has said, this is the warrior in the family, the one that they will need to know in case he attacks them. He is looking for any clues to the way the man thinks.  Though from what he has heard from Bella, this one may be the brother he wished he had.  How he would like to sit and talk with him.

Suddenly he feels an emotion from Bella that makes him look up.  “Bella?” He looks at her as he tries to figure out what is making her feel so…thoughtful?

Looking at him, Bella divulges, “Carlisle had his office, that from what I gathered was his office for his medical files and also where he held private meetings with the family.  But this room…it doesn’t make sense.  Jasper and Alice were together.  Why would he not just share their room?  Why would they need separate rooms?” She keeps looking around, as both her Mate and her brother watch her.

She wonders around the room, looking at everything and noting how much this room fits the man that had told her she was worth it.  She finds herself in front of the bookshelf with Eric, her eyes gliding over the volumes of Civil War history.  She even finds the Art of War in the shelves and then stops at a book.  The Red Badge of Courage.  She looks at the others around it, then looks back to it.

Eric watches her, but then frowns as she pulls out the Red Badge of Courage and the Art of War books. He cocks his head looking at them then back to the books. “Syrra?” He has no idea why she pulled those two specific books out when there are tons of books mixed in together.  There is no rhyme or reason to the library.

She takes the books to the desk and flips open the Red Badge of Courage book.  “Jasper seems to love the Civil War.  He had helped me on a paper for history on it.  Best paper I ever wrote.  But these two books… just feel off.” And as she said that, a slip of paper fell from the book.  All it had was a number.  63.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/page-63-of-the-art-of-war.jpg)

Bella picked up the Art of War and turned to page 63.  Then she frowns as she can barely see the writing along the edge of the page.  She hands it to Godric who is behind her and ask him, “Can you make sense of this?” If her eyes can’t make it out, his could.

Godric turns it and frowns.  It was written so lightly that if you were not looking for it, you would think it was a watermark along the edge.  The writing is that fine.  He scans it then looks up at Eric.

Eric stares back at his Maker as Godric reads the note out loud.

Bella, yo sabía que ibas a encontrar. Sólo estoy esperando que usted sabe lo suficiente español de ser el área de Phoenix para ser capaz de leer esto. Nunca fui después, yo estaba tratando de salvarte. No puedo decirte cómo lo sé, pero decirle a Godric esperar una fría y su compañero a visitarte en Dallas. Será mi hermano de sangre. No confíe en nadie que no esté avalada por su pareja. recuerde, que no importa qué, usted se lo merece. Su hermano, Jasper Whitlock. ( _Bella, I knew you would find this.  I am just hoping you know enough Spanish from being in the Phoenix area to be able to read this.  I was never after you, I was trying to save you.  I can’t tell you how I know this, but tell Godric to expect a Cold One and his mate to visit you in Dallas.  It will be my brother by blood.  Don’t trust anyone who is not vouched for by your mate.  Remember, that no matter what, you ARE worth it.  Your brother, Jasper Whitlock.)_

Eric lifts his eyebrow as Godric finishes.  “What is going on?” Neither he nor Godric have any issues translating, and he looks to Bella and she shows every sign of having understood the language, even as old as it is in that writing.

His arm around his Mate, Godric muses, “I think we are finding out not everything is as it seems in this family.”  Looking up to Eric, he tells him, “Have the others go through the rooms.  There are only two other rooms I want to see here before we leave.” He _really_ wants to search the impudent boy’s room, but he also needs to search the coven leader’s room.  He can feel from Bella the same need to go there.

Bella looks up at him with her eyebrow raised in silent question. He smiles down and kisses her quickly.  He gives a little sigh as he enjoys the feeling of her here with him.

Eric just grins. “Let’s leave the fun one for last.  The leader of the coven I take it?” He loves watching the two, knowing that Godric will take care of his syrra.  The two of them are good for each other.

Godric nods.  He offers his arm to his mate and they leave the study, the two books in Godric’s hands.  He will not leave any trace of the other vampire’s note to his Mate.  Though, he is shocked there is no jealousy from Eric.  But then, Eric is more her brother than any other person will be on this earth.  But it makes him wonder how the Cold One knew of him and his claim to his a thaisce.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/mugs-2011-001.jpg)

They soon enter the room that Bella has been in twice before.  Once, when Edward was showing her around, and when he had told her about the three kings.  Godric kisses her head as he moves through the room, Eric on the other side.  She turns around and stares at the picture of Carlisle and the three kings.  She cocks her head to the side and muses out loud, “I wonder if he really left them.  He is the only one that is shown seated with them.  No one else is sitting.”

Eric voice is behind her as he stops and looks at the pictures himself.  “Only royalty can sit with others. Where did Carlisle come from?” He tries to help her out, thinking that with  how she found the books, maybe she can find other things?

Still looking at the painting, Bella cocks her head to the side.  “He is supposed to be a preacher’s son.  I don’t think he has any more claim to royalty than me.”

Godric snorts from where he is at the desk.

When Bella looks over her shoulder at him, she catches Eric’s grin.  “Actually, Lillasyster, you have more right than these self-proclaimed royalty to sit on a throne.”

Before Bella can ask Eric what he meant, Eric had moved closer to the paintings and mused to himself. “Why would they leave these behind?”

He reaches up and Bella grabs his hand to stop him.  When he looks down at her with a raised eyebrow, Bella repeats to him, “Why _would_ they leave these behind?  Eric, just humor me and have someone else take some safeguards when they look at the pictures.  Plus, they took his cross, why _not_  these?   If there had been time to take the cross, then there was time to take these.  And these pictures by themselves are damning to the whole “keep the secret” thing.”

Godric appears next to them and nods as he looks at them.  “Leave them, Eric.  I am not liking this at all.  In fact, have everyone exit the house and we will send in a team to go through it.  I think we found the most important information tonight.  For now, I want to get us back into our territory.”

With this said, and with a bad feeling creeping up on him, Godric soon ushers his Mate and his child back out of the house.  Along the way he orders everyone else out of the house along with them.

Outside the house, Godric eyes it.  Sam walks up to him and looks at the structure. “We didn’t get to look at a lot in there.”

Eric is also staring at the house as he grumbles, “Or fuck up a certain room like I wanted.”

Godric shakes his head and holds his Mate close.  “I have a bad feeling.  Pamela, I want you to have a crew come in with full suits.  I want no vampires if possible.  Sam, I know you mentioned you wanted to be allies, and I will do this.  But, you need to keep your tribe away from here.” He does not know where this came from, but a quick check of his Bond with his little Mate tells him it originates with her, but it is not all from her.

Pamela is still shaken up by Eric’s comments earlier and by how he’s acting around Bella.  She can see Godric’s possessiveness over his Mate, but what is up with Eric?  Is she his Mate too?  Why is he hovering over her?

Shaking her head, she asks Godric, “If you wish, Grandsire, I can stay here and organize the search team as well as negotiate the treaty with the shifters.” She will deal with this when she can, but first, she can tell that whatever is going on here is a big deal, and she never fails her family.

Godric looks over at Eric and lifts an eyebrow.  It is his call, since as his second, this is now his job.

Eric looks over at the house and thinks.  “You have tonight and tomorrow, Pam.  After that I need you back in Fangtasia.  No later.”  His eyes cut over to her and he tells her, “ _You_ are not to go inside that house.  _I command you_.”

She shudders as the command sets in and nods.  She walks away and is soon on her phone arranging for her stay here.

Eric turns to Sam. “If you don’t agree to any part of the treaty, or if you feel as though Pam is being unreasonable, call me.  I want to have someone from your tribe guarding my sister with Alcide.  Her safety is too important for me to leave it up to one type of Werewolves.  Since you do not register as one, even after you are announced to the council, no one will expect one of you to be guarding Godric’s Mate.  I like the hidden cards.” To say the least.  If he could, he would have the whole tribe protecting them, but he will take what he can.

Sam nods.  He is mentally going through the wolves he has available and asks “I can send one with you now.  The only thing I know  he will want is the chance to make something of himself.  Though I warn you, he is a ladies man.  But he has no ties to the reservation other than being a wolf.” And he can get that wolf into a better place – he is wasted here.

Godric chuckles. “Eric should get along with him then.  If he wishes to leave now, we will take him.  I am not taking any chances with Bella.  But warn him that she is taken…” As he growls out the last part ** _.  His mate…_**

Sam snickers. “Oh, Paul won’t mess with her other than to tease her.  But this will be good for him.  He needs to get away from the tribe.  I am hoping that this will present him the chance he needs.” He truly hopes this will help.  And he needs to do this.  He understands the needs of the tribe, but if three could guard it in the past, then three can do it now.

With assurances from both Eric and Godric that Paul would be welcome, he walks away to make the arrangements.

Bella sighs. “What is going on?  Why do I feel like there is more going on here than we think?” She feels like something huge is coming.

Godric kisses her forehead and he holds her close.  The three of them turn to stare at the house in front of them. “I don’t know, a thaisce.  But we will find out.  That I promise you.”

 

 

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**Final count:  4,366 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	15. I Keep Trying

 

# I Keep Trying

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**Pre Edit Count -   3,876 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Perfect_ by Hedley

 

 

 

* * *

_Previous:_

_S_ _am nods.  He is mentally going through the wolves he has available and asks “I can send one with you now.  The only thing I know  he will want is the chance to make something of himself.  Though I warn you, he is a ladies man.  But he has no ties to the reservation other than being a wolf.” And he can get that wolf into a better place – he is wasted here._

_Godric chuckles. “Eric should get along with him then.  If he wishes to leave now, we will take him.  I am not taking any chances with Bella.  But warn him that she is taken…” As he growls out the last part **.  His mate…**_

_Sam snickers. “Oh, Paul won’t mess with her other than to tease her.  But this will be good for him.  He needs to get away from the tribe.  I am hoping that this will present him the chance he needs.” He truly hopes this will help.  And he needs to do this.  He understands the needs of the tribe, but if three could guard it in the past, then three can do it now._

_With assurances from both Eric and Godric that Paul would be welcome, he walks away to make the arrangements._

_Bella sighs. “What is going on?  Why do I feel like there is more going on here than we think?” She feels like something huge is coming._

_Godric kisses her forehead and he holds her close.  The three of them turn to stare at the house in front of them. “I don’t know, a thaisce.  But we will find out.  That I promise you.”_

_Now:_

 

 

 

* * *

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The ride to the airport had been much livelier than the ride to the Cullen’s house.  Both Godric and Eric are soon chatting with Bella about the world she is now involved in. They want to test their hypothesis about what she had received from the exchange with Eric.  After an intense round of questions, they find that Bella has most of Eric’s knowledge, but as for his in-depth information, there has to be something to make it “bubble up” to the top, to use Bella’s exact words in describing the feeling.

 

 

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“I can’t explain how it really feels, it kinda feels like it tickles as the information comes to me.  Maybe Freya wanted us to know when we find out information like that” Bella guesses as she curls up in Godric’s arms.  She had mentioned to him earlier that she feels so much better when he holds hers like this, and Godric had been quick to tell her that he doesn’t mind…and then promptly wrapped her in his arms as he pulled her closer.

 

 

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Eric just grins at her as he maneuvers through the minimal traffic on their way to the private airport.  He suspects that she will be getting a big surprise when they arrive.  Godric had ordered his jet to be here, although “jet” is such a misnomer.  His plane is big enough to take this car back to Dallas.  Godric had wanted to drive from the airport to the location of the meeting, not trusting the King’s offer of transport, but a hiccup with the airport had forced him to arrive in Oregon instead and then drive to Seattle. Not that he complained all, and definitely not after it lead him to his Mate.

Eric frowns as things suddenly start lining up in his head.  He comments quietly, “Godric, where were you going to land originally?” His eyes meeting his Maker’s for a second before glancing back to the road.

 

 

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Godric looks up from his fascination with his Mate.  Meeting Eric’s blue eyes, he comments, “Port Angeles.  Why?” Most of his attention is on his small Mate, exploring the Bond he has with her, feeling it out and seeing what he can do with it while she is asleep.

Eric looks down at his lillasyster and mutters, “Then we could have possibly never met her.”

Not able to keep the growl from voicing, Godric’s eye glow briefly.  But he is also thinking about Eric’s observation.  His eyes narrow.  “Check on what happened.  Though I am extremely happy about the results, I find that I, too, am wanting to know how it happened.”

Nodding his head, Eric glances at his syrra with a small smile on his face.  She had been yawning as they were talking earlier so he is not surprised to see her sleeping.  Even with the venom gone from her arm, Eric can still feel the pain she is feeling in her head.  He quietly asks, “What about the pain?” The pain bothers him;  it’s telling him that they are still working with a deadline.  While it’s not as tight as before, he is not happy that she is still in pain.  He wonders what the substance is that is causing her pain if the venom was drained?

Godric sighs as he watches his tiny Mate. “I will offer my blood, if needed.  I also need to talk to her about the last exchange.  I have been able to dismiss the need for her by taking on her pain, but it was much harder to do this time. But I want her to have the chance to choose when she comes over.”

A smirk appears on Eric’s face. “I will do so, as it is my job as her brother to talk to her about sex. I have been failing in my duties not to do so earlier.”  The mischievousness in him is sparkling, and Godric muses that he loves this side of his Child that he has not seen in years. It seems Bella is not only bringing him back to life, but also his Son.

As good as Pam has been for him, Eric has been more serious since he turned his Child.  She needed a firmer hand, and he had to be more like a father than a brother with her at first.  And, unfortunately, she has not gotten much better.  Even when Eric had asked Godric to foster her, to try to give her more of a sense of her place, she had refused to leave.  That had been when Eric had shown the other side of himself, the stern taskmaster.  He cares for Pam, she is his Child, but he quickly grew tired of the spoiled princess routine.  Eric had learned to be more controlling, and brought back the aspects of his personality that had made him the kind of King that his followers wouldn’t leave behind when he was dying.

The feeling of having his Mate in his arms, and of knowing that Eric is becoming who he was before the need for revenge took hold of him, relaxes Godric.  He chuckles as he imagines what Eric will be putting Bella through, and comments, “And you so enjoy the opportunity to tease her.”

Eric’s smirk gets wider.  Then with a glance at her, his smirk fades as he tells him, “She is going to need both of us, my fader.  Is this acceptable?” He wants this out now, not later when it could fester and be worse.

His head resting on hers, Godric pulls her closer to him as he replies, “Tá sí do dheirfiúr. An bandia bheannaigh í féin seo. Tá sí ag tagairt dó ar an bhfíric go bhfuil sí mo maité anam an. Ní ba mhaith liom a dhiúltú duit, mo mhac, an-áthas ar a bhfuil fola. Mar tá a fhios agam nach mbeidh tú shéanadh orm mo ghrá. Chun liom, níl aon choimhlint. Ach an bhfuil tú ag mothú coimhlint, mo mhac?” ( _She is your sister.  The Goddess herself blessed this.  She has also alluded to the fact that she is my soul mate.  I would never deny you, my son, the joy of having Blood.  As I know you will not deny me my love.  To me, there is no conflict.  But do you feel conflict, my son?)_

Sighing in relief, Eric replies to him in the same language, one that Godric taught him since so few speak it.  Neither would be surprised if their Bella knows it, too, and in fact, Godric is hopeful that she does. “No, mo athair. Níl aon neamhréireacht. Níl ach … áthas. Shíl mé riamh ba mhaith liom a bheith teaghlach arís. Ní mar seo. Is Pamela mo leanbh, ach nach bhfuil sí ina leanbh de mo chroí. Sea, tá mé millte aici, ach go fírinneach, bhí sí ar an saol crua sular tháinig sí chugam. Tá Bella gach rud a bhí mé riamh i teaghlach. Agus go mbeadh a fhios go mbeidh sí ag siúl ar an aois ag ár taobh, tugann dom sonas den sórt sin go bhfuil mé ag a bhfuil fadhbanna i bhfolach.” _(No, my father.  There is no conflict.  There is simply… joy.  I never thought I would have family again.  Not like this.  Pamela is my child, but she is not a child of my heart.  Yes, I have spoiled her, but truly, she had a hard life before she came to me.  Bella is everything I ever wanted in family.  And to know that she will walk the ages by our side brings me such happiness that I am having problems hiding it.)_

Here Eric pauses, then speaks frankly to him, “Mar sin féin, tá imní orm faoi na cinn Fuar, agus go háirithe an Whitlock Jasper mé. Ba mhaith liom níos mó eolas faoi dó a fhios, agus beidh breathnú isteach air. Ba mhaith liom go mbeadh a fhios cén fáth sé, de na cinn Fuar, is cosúil mar sin i gceist léi. Ní hé seo an éad, Freya í féin a fhios go bhfuil mé sásta leis a bheith a deartháir. Ach go bhfuil sé seeming a bheith ag briseadh ó na daoine eile …” ( _However, I am concerned about the Cold Ones, and especially this Jasper Whitlock.  I wish to know more about him, and will be looking into him.  I wish to know why he, of all the Cold Ones, seems so concerned with her.  This is not jealousy, Freya herself knows that I am content with being her brother.  But that he seems to be breaking away from the others…)_

Godric nods.  “I too am concerned.  Now, let’s board. I am eager to meet this new wolf.” His looks at Eric, knowing his child had enjoyed meeting the other lone wolf.

Eric grins.  He had met Paul when he had arrived as they were about to leave.  Sam had told him that Paul was more than willing to leave.  He had an abusive  father, who had killed his wife and severely injured Paul when he had tried to defend his mother.  He had been ostracized by the tribe because of it, but he had been emancipated since he had inherited his mother’s family fortune. He had been ready to leave the reservation, but then he had changed.  The gene had come from his father, and had been another thing he hated about the tribe that had forced him to stay.

When Eric heard this from Sam, his eyes had gone dark in anger and he muttered, “What is it about this part of the world?  Does no one honor the gift they had been given?”

Sam had sighed. “Unfortunately, you seem to be finding the ones who don’t.  I had nothing to offer these new wolves, and nothing for them to fight for.  Wolves are pack animals, which is why Paul was asked to go.  He is an alpha since his father descended from the last alpha.  Seems the last wolves had felt it their duty to spread their genes.  Because of this, he is a lone wolf. He will be happier with others he considers pack, and I am hoping this works.  If it does, then Paul will be able to the first of many.  He will be alpha to the pack, but I suspect he will become part of your group, or pack.  But he will have nothing with him.  I will send on what he wishes, but neither of us want to take the chance the Elders will try to stop him.”

Godric had overheard this as he had been carrying Bella as they walked to the cars.  He turned around and asked, “Is this a problem?” He watches the Wolf, wondering if he is doing the right thing in making a treaty with him.

Sam sighs as he runs his hands through his hair. “It will be, but I will take care of it.  For now, let’s get you guys on your way with Paul.” He knows there will be a fight, but damnation, the world is **not** the place the Elders think it is, and they will need help.  This will allow them to have the support of a powerful group.

Soon after he finished speaking, a gray wolf as tall as a horse came out of the woods.  He walked right up to Sam and, eying him, turned his attention to Godric and Eric.  Neither of them backed down from his gaze.

 

 

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Paul had been surprised by the two vampires.  He did not feel the hate he had towards the Cold Ones, nor did their scents burn his nose.  While they didn’t smell of “calming” like Sam had said, to him they smelled like Pack, like what Sam and Jared smell to each other as well as Embry, who they can tell was about to change.

As he stares down the two vampires, a shudder runs through him as he meets their eyes.  He soon lowers his head respectfully.  And at that second, his link to Jared is broken, and from that moment onward he will only be able to speak with Sam mind to mind.

The two in front of him are his new pack, his Alpha and his Beta. And something sparks in him as he looks back into their eyes.  Respect.

Eric shakes his head as he remembers the conversation he had after Godric had left to settle his Mate into his car, leaving Eric to finalize his plans.  He has the feeling that Paul is going to fit in fine.

 

 

 

* * *

Bella wakes to Godric nuzzling her.  “Time to wake, a thaisce.  We need to move to the plane, and while we have time, I wish to know which residence I need to have us taken to.  Plus the car needs to be loaded.”

 _Loaded?_   Bella looks up and her mouth drops open.  “Godric?”

He is enjoying being this close to his Mate, and makes a questioning sound in answer. The pure joy he feels with her in his arms is as close to perfect as he can feel without clothing being removed…though he couldn’t deny he would enjoy that immensely.

 

 

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“That is not a jet.  That is a plane.  A very large plane.”

And a burst of laughter comes from the door as it opens.  Soon she finds herself on Eric’s shoulder as he carries her to the plane.  “Yes, lillasyster.  It is indeed a plane.  And you have no problems.  Remember our earlier conversation?  This is a part of it.”  He glides them up the stairs and deposits her in a chair and collapses in a seat across from her with a narrow table between them. He absentmindedly double taps his fingers on the table to bring up a sign-on screen and is soon adding Bella to everything he can think of while he watches her take in the plane.

 

 

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Her eyes wide, she takes in the plane.  They are seated at a small table.  There’s an empty seat next to her, and one next to Eric.   She can see plenty of other seats, too,  as well as some doors that must lead to other parts of the plane.  The oddest thing is that the windows are heavily covered.

Noticing her curiosity, Eric causally explains, “The whole plane is light proof, and more secure than Air Force One.  Since this is Godric’s main plane, it makes sense.  You will come to find that your mate and therefore you are more important than most beings on this planet.  Godric is the head of the most powerful Blood Line.  There is no place where he cannot command respect.  The only reason he hasn’t taken a throne is because he has felt no need to be royalty, but I suspect this will be ending soon.” He moves his hands quickly as he has a couple of screens open by this time so that he can work even faster as he checks his emails and adds information from time to time to a spreadsheet.  He frowns as he sees an email from the Authority questioning Godric’s claim of Bella.  He sends off the attachments that they asked for and will let Godric know.

Looking at him, she cocks her head to the side as she asks, “Why?”

“Because of you, a thaisce,”  comes Godric’s voice as he seats himself next to her with a kiss to her hand that he takes in his own.  “I have more than Eric to protect now.  The Blood Line is important, but you are more.  I had not cared to do more than take a Sheriffs spot close to Eric in case he needed me.  But now, now I am feeling much more protective.  And Eric’s Queen is a bitch.  We will be working to see what we can do to take the state.” He watches everyone settling in as he pays attention to his Mate.

Eric jerks and looks to his Maker. “Take Louisiana?  Why not Texas?”

Twining his fingers in his Mates, Godric just smiles. “Don’t think I haven’t felt the pull you have to be there.  So until we know **why** you feel compelled to be there, we will make sure that you can stay.  But do not think this will be easy. I doubt that it will be as easy as I would like for her to make a mistake and be overthrown.  Though I suspect that Andrew thinks he will be stepping down soon.”

At this Eric snorts as he watches them close the door after Alcide and Paul make their way towards the rear seats.  “The man has begged you for decades to take the throne.  He only took it when you turned it down because he wanted to be near you.  He also didn’t trust anyone else to be over you.” He is still working on the screen before him.

Alcide had disappeared behind a set of doors to gather drinks for them.  He grins at Bella as he hands them to Godric and makes his way to his seat.

Godric sighs. “I suspect you are right, my son.  But he will need to stay in place for a little longer.”

Shaking her head, Bella asks, “Andrew?”

 

 

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Resting his fingertips on the screen to let it scan and allow him to sign in, Godric glances at Eric. “You can inform her.  He is your brother more than _hers_.” As he signs in, he notices that Eric flings some documents to his side of the screen and looks through them.

His blue eyes darkening, Eric’s fangs drop. He has no doubt that all of the holds up they are having with the Authority are because of her.  But he quickly regains himself and turns to Bella.  “Andrew Roberts.  He is the current King of Texas and what you call New Mexico.  He also is a vampire that Godric had found on his rising night.  Seems his maker had run afoul of a Fairy.  So Andrew rose with no Maker and was completely confused.  Godric not only offered to teach him, but since he was newly risen, Godric did something that no one thought was possible.  He became Andrew’s Maker without turning him.  It has never been replicated and no one can figure out why Andrew and Godric were able to do it.”

He chuckles.  “My brother, though, is not of our blood.  If you tasted my blood, you will taste Godric in it.  This is what makes us Blood.  Just as you will taste of both Godric and me, Godric as your Mate and me as your blood brother.  But Andrew has a Maker bond with Godric.  He feels us as though Godric had been the one to turn him.  It is because of this connection that Andrew is more protective of us than you can ever imagine.  He was a warrior in his time, just as Godric and I were.  He is only a hundred years younger than me.  You will like him, lillasyster.”

Bella just shakes her head.  “What have I gotten myself into?  From a family who never cared about me to one that seems to be all over the place.”

Godric is tending to the screen before him, reading the paperwork they are asking him to submit for Bella.  He snorts, gives Eric a look, then quickly composes an email to Roman with the attachments added to it.  After sending it, he starts to work on some of the other items, gently pulling Bella’s attention to it and describing in a low voice what he is doing and why.  It is never too early to start helping his Mate to understand what is going on.

The plane is soon taxing out to the run way but no one on-board pays any attention to it.  Alcide is quietly talking to Paul about his duties and how since Alcide is Godric’s person, he will probably end up being Bella’s.  He will be put in charge of Bella’s security, going wherever she goes.  They will probably have a vampire as his alternative during the nights.  All this is being relayed to Paul as well the fact that Alcide will be teaching him what he needs to know.  Not told to him was that Eric will probably be in charge of his physical training.

Eric and Godric are paying attention to this, just as they knew that both wolves are paying attention to them.  But the two vampires are more attentive to Bella.  Eric leans forward on the table and, staring into his sister’s eyes that are the exact shade of his own, tells her, “You will never be alone nor will you ever even think that you are unloved.  Godric is your Mate, your other half.  You are one exchange from being bonded to each other.  And I would not be surprised that once it happens, you two will probably be Mated in every sense of the word.”

He smirks as he leans back and informs her, “Exchanges are normally very sexual in nature.  It’s only because of your pain that either of you have ignored your instincts.  But next time, lillasyster, I know that you will be Godric’s in every way.  To help make that be on your time table, you needed to aware of it before you demand another exchange.” His smirk grows as he remembers her demanding Godric use the healing she needed to make another step in the Bond.  It had erased any doubt from him or Godric that she might not want the Bond.

“A thaisce, we just wish for you to know about this.  I would love to romance you, and I plan on doing so.  But no matter what happens, you will be treated with utmost respect.  I need to admit to you that I have been fighting the urge by using your pain, but I don’t think I will be strong enough to do so again.  I… _need_ you, in **every** way.  If you need it, I will give you my blood to help with the pain. Or if you would rather, I will ask Eric to give you blood to fight the pain and to give us more time. But no other.” Godric candidly tells his love.

Swallowing, Bella looks at both of them.  “So let me get this right.  You are essentially telling me that the next time we exchange we will be Bonded, which we both wish for…right?” At Godric emphatic agreement, both in person and through their bond, Bella continues, “But we will basically be having sex.”  With this she bites her lower lip as she blushes.

Godric leans forward and cups her face. He studies her eyes as he answers her, “Yes.  You will be my Mate in every way, except for turning you.  And to be frank, we will exchange blood often after the third time.  I crave your blood as it nourishes me, but I suspect that I will continue to crave it even after you are turned.  And most often it will be sexual in nature.  I will hold off turning you until you ask for it, but a thaisce, I cannot promise the same for our first joining when we complete the Bond.”  He smirks, “I am quite looking forward to it.” His eyes are smoldering as he stares down at his Mate, nothing more on his mind than imagining her under him, on top, everywhere.  He is also aware that when she is turned, it may take a couple days for the two of them to calm down.  His smirks gets wider as his over-busy mind supplies him with many more ideas.

Eric leans back as he laughs.  “Oh I am too, lillasyster.”  His eyes snapping in merriment, he also advises her, “But I too cannot wait until you are turned.  You will be safer, but we will make sure it will be on your terms as much as possible. For now, just think of the next step, and be aware of what is going on.  That is all we wanted from you.” His amusement tells Bella he also wanted to tease her, but she just laughs, promising she will get revenge.

Godric soon turns his attention back to emails and business, and Eric starts talking with Bella.  His questions cause so many bubbles to form in her brain that she begins shuddering  to the point that Godric had been ready to grab her a blanket when Paul comes over and drops one on her.

Watching the wolf from the side, Godric just glances at Eric and can see him watching the wolf as well.

Paul had noticed his new ward shivering and had seen the younger-looking vampire twitch a couple of times as if he wanted to find a cover for her. Paul grabs a blanket instead, and, without really thinking about it, holds it close to his body to warm it up.  He wants to take measure of this woman who is the reason he’s being allowed off the reservation.

So, grinning mischievously, he drops the blanket over her.  But then is shocked as she groans as she looks at Eric.

“I thought I was gaining one brother.  Now how many do I have?”

He chuckles.  Paul drops down to her level and holds out his hand. “Paul Lahote.  I gather we will be working together for quite a long time.”  He grins as she shakes his hand, pleased she is not too shy.

Alcide laughs. “Until you die, Paul.”

Paul raises his eyes to look into Eric’s as he answers the werewolf.  “Didn’t Sam tell you?  As long as we change, we stay immortal. Since for some reason my instincts and the wolf inside me accept Godric as my Alpha and Eric here as my Beta, and with both of them being immortal, there is no reason why I would stop changing.  So, as long as I don’t die, there is no reason why Bella and I can’t be a team for a very long time.”

And with Paul’s words,  the future seemed to be a little less scary for them.  Godric soon has the houses displayed in front of them, and nods Alcide over to help. The group gathers around the table and looks at the houses presented in front of them, debating the pros and cons to each house.

 

 

They go through the houses that are available for their use.  Bella has shook her head many times, just lost.  Finally, she leans back as she admits to them,  “I don’t know what to do with any of them.  I  want to be away from Godric as little as possible.”  Since most of the conversation was about the safe rooms, she is not happy with how so many of them are not available so that she could stay with him.  She figures this will be a way to eliminate some.

Godric frowns as he taps the screen and he flips through them, and for the first time he notices the kitchens.  He can also see which houses are ready for them now.  He has listened to his Mates comments, and frankly is not happy with how frustrated she is with the whole progress.  If she isn’t happy, then he will have no problems purchasing, or even building, one more to her tastes.  The only thing is it needs to be able to hold Alcide, Paul and any of his Children who come, including a place for _her_.  Though if he doesn’t hear from Roman soon, he will be calling her in the most painful way to get her to _heel_.  What does it matter to her if Bella is his mate?

 

 

Soon he finds one that he enjoys the outside.  He tugs Bella to his lap as he shows it to her.  But the insides make her shudder. “I really hate the all-white part.” Her eyes go back to his and she is holding inside the wince.  The house is beautiful, but whoever had designed the interior really had no taste.

Nodding his head, happy they have found a home that they can work with, he asks, “If we get rid of the white, can you work with me and make this our home?” She looks and indicates a few rooms she likes but she is thinking on his request.

 

 

Flipping through the house, she finally nods. “Yes.  But I don’t want  your job to be handled there.  That will be our place.” She does not want anyone knowing where they are, or to have easy access to the house.  She really doesn’t want to take a chance with the two vampires who have become quickly her family to be at risk.

Godric nods as he thinks about it.  “With your help, I will turn some other houses over to the nest and let them be targets if they do not listen to me.  And we will decide if another residence I have in mind will work when we have to entertain others.”  He also plans to build a club like Eric’s to start handling business in.  It will be more upscale, however, since he will not want his Mate exposed to  fangbangers daily.  But he does need to have someplace to meet with his vampires.

Thinking about everything he needs to set up for the next while, Godric turns the property over to Alcide and asks him to make secure it enough for them to rest in today and tonight.  This is actually one of the easier places since the secure resting facilities for him and Eric are already underground and prepared.  Food will need to be brought in as well as guards for the grounds.

Eric looks over the compound, and he grins.  “I see you already had a place for me.”  He taps on the space under the house, and thinks about how alike they are.

Godric teases him, “Of course my child.  You and your brother are always welcome and able to use the houses.”  Feeling the wave of exhaustion from his Mate, he makes some quick decisions.

Lifting her in his arms,  Godric issues the orders for the night.  “Eric, take care of what will need to be done; I don’t think she will stay awake anyway.  I will take her in my coffin.  Before the plane opens, someone check on her.  If she is fine, have her stay in there until the house is clear.”

And with that Godric carefully pulls her into his coffin.  He cannot wait until they are out and the sleeker models will be most welcome. He climbs in with her and closes and locks the top parts, and then very happily wraps her body with his.  He feels as close to perfectly content as possible.

 

 

 

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**Final count:  5,423 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	16. Two People Meant To Be Together

 

# Two People Meant to Be Together

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**Pre Edit Count -   1,769 Words**

**_Song I listened to for this chapter: Nothing on but the Radio_ by Gary Allen**

 

 

* * *

_Previous:_

_Godric teases him, “Of course my child.  You and your brother are always welcome and able to use the houses.”  Feeling the wave of exhaustion from his Mate, he makes some quick decisions._

_Lifting her in his arms,  Godric issues the orders for the night.  “Eric, take care of what will need to be done; I don’t think she will stay awake anyway.  I will take her in my coffin.  Before the plane opens, someone check on her.  If she is fine, have her stay in there until the house is clear.”_

_And with that Godric carefully pulls her into his coffin.  He cannot wait until they are out and the sleeker models will be most welcome. He climbs in with her and closes and locks the top parts, and then very happily wraps her body with his.  He feels as close to perfectly content as possible._

_Now:_

 

 

* * *

Still in the coffin and watching his mate sleeping, Godric had waited for the day to pull him under, but instead he is still awake when they took the coffin off the plane. Before the day had come, he had sent Alcide a message notifying him that Bella was fine and not to worry about getting her out.

Concerned about the handling of the boxes containing their hidden coffins, he had made sure that his love is wrapped up securely in his arms, but is pleasantly surprised with the gentleness of the people unloading the coffin. The box held both his and Eric’s coffins so that it would not be so obvious.  They have other boxes and such that they use depending on who is traveling.  It will be easier after the Great Revelation and all this smoke and mirrors can be used to defeat enemies, not just to hide their presence from humans.

Soon he can feel when they are being loaded into the vehicle to transport them to their home.  He can also hear Alcide telling Paul more of the rules and such. He smirks at some of the things Alcide tells Paul.  He doesn’t realize until later that he should have felt Eric die for the day, instead he is amused and trying not to laugh as Alcide tells Paul how Eric had painfully taught him when he was learning his position from him.

While he rests there, he carefully edges his phone out, and frowns as he notices that it is past noon.  Then he gets a shock when Eric texts him, ‘ _Still awake?_ ’

He sends to him, ‘ _Yes.  What is going on?_ ’ He is not used to being awake this late.  Yesterday he had died for the day a bit later than normal, but even then he and Bella had went to rest about 10 o’clock that morning.

Eric sends, ‘ _Goddess Blessing?_ ’ He had been spending the time awake eliminating all the different possibilities and had come up with that as the most likely cause.

Godric thinks on this but then sends, ‘ _Me?_ ’  He can see this being true for Eric, and has a pang of jealousy.  Then he holds out the hope that this might not be a one-time experience.

Quickly his phone beeps, “ _Mate/Blood exchanges_.’  He can feel his hope soaring as he senses encouragement from Eric.  Maybe, just maybe, he could spend all of his Mate’s time with her…

Before he can answer, he can hear them entering the grounds.   Alcide orders the security to be set for the day and checks that everything is ready for them.  He holds Bella closer, knowing that Alcide will have them in his room shortly.  Then he will be looking into this with Eric.

Soon the movements stop and he can hear Alcide telling Paul, “Never ever open the coffins unless you are told to.” Then he feels the box open and his coffin being extracted.  He smiles at the care his Guardian is taking in the handling of the coffin, and in teaching his Mate’s Guardian how to take care of her in the same way.  Alcide has been one of the best Guardians he has had in a long time.

Paul comments back to him, “But I thought he said to check on Bella.” He is looking at what they call a coffin, but instead it looks like a military grade box that happens to be the same size as a human body.  He wonders if Bella really is comfortable in there and wants to make sure.  He also assists in moving Eric’s coffin to the trolley and is soon helping Alcide take them through the house into a special room.

Alcide replies back as he carefully installs the coffin in the room put aside for it.  The room will move Godric’s coffin down to his room and on the other side of the room is Eric’s. “But if you see the lights here, that means he’s locked the coffin against anyone opening it.  I have the override code, but this situation isn’t important enough to use it.  The override is only in case the coffin itself is unsafe, in that it’s in unsafe place, or something  that will threaten Godric when he wakes.  Right now, there is nothing pressing.  He will wake soon and if Bella was not awake by the time he fell asleep, he must have decided that she was too tired to wake up without him.  Don’t worry, you’ll get this as long as you remember certain things.  Bella is Godric’s first and foremost concern, the most important thing in the entire world.  If it were a choice between her and him, she wins.  Second, is that she is Eric’s sister, by blood.  Meaning again, if there is a choice, she wins.  She always wins.  The two of them would rather die than take a chance she would.  She may fight against it, but these are just the facts.  Now, let’s head up. Eric needs to be put in his room, and then we will go and talk some more.” The door slides close and the machinery reads the codes on the coffins and then moves them down into the light tight rooms.

Their voices fade, and Godric smiles.  There is a reason that Alcide is trusted more than any other.  He is hoping that Paul will be just as invaluable, especially since there seems to be a good possibility that he will be around for a long time.

Once he is sure that Alcide has locked down the rooms, he disengages the locks and is soon carrying his Bella bridal style toward their bed.  Before he can go much farther, Eric is there pulling the blankets down for him.

Working quietly, Godric quickly removes her shoes and settles her into the bed.  He leans down to inhale her scent, and then kisses her.  They pull up the blankets, and leave after turning on the low lights along the baseboards in case she wakens without either of them noticing. Though right now, that would be a miracle since both of them have already gotten used to monitoring the bonds in case there is any more pain that they can take into their own bodies before it has a chance to affect her.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/allan-hyde-4.jpg)

Heading into the conference room, they both sit down and Godric types into the table the code for the screen to come up on it.  He quickly sets up the monitor to his room and sets to the side as Eric signs in for his prints to be allowed to use the screen.  It only takes a few seconds to link up to the jet’s system to transfer the work, and Eric is soon working on setting up everything for tonight.  His Mate will need clothing and that will be their first stop.

Once he is logged in, Eric tells him, “I don’t feel even the slightest inclination to die for the day.”  He is soon working on his emails, not even thinking about setting the timers for the messages to be sent like he normally does.

Godric shakes his head as he goes through his own emails, setting delays as is normal for them.  He also sends a carefully worded message to Dougal.  He finally replies, “Me either.  Why do you think it is a Blessing?” His eagerness is veiled by millenniums of hiding emotions, but he can’t hide a thing from Eric.

Eric is watching his maker, and his lips lift in a small smile.  “Because it happened after our Blessing, after the second Bonding.  If I could, I would ask her.  But the chances of this happening after Freya came herself and Blessed our Oath?”  His eyebrow lifts.  He believes in his Goddess wholeheartedly, but he sees no reason why she would answer him on this.  They should be able to figure it out on their own.

Pausing, Godric turns to Eric. “And what if it is her blood?  Do you know what this will mean?” His blood had turned into ice in his veins as the thought had entered his mind.  He would have to end so many lives, and he would do with no guilt or hesitation whatsoever if it kept his beloved safe.

His face wiped clean of his grin, Eric nods. “Every single vampire will be after her.  Unless we can prove it is a Goddess Blessing, then our job to protect her just got tougher.  But how to prove it?” His eyes are hard as he considers the measures they will need to take to guard his sister.

At this question, Godric leans back in his chair, his hands washing his face. “I don’t know.  She is not my Patron Goddess.  Though I respect her very much, and have believed in her for as long as I have known her, she is the opposite of my own Patron.  Though my sense of humor finds it humorous that my Patron is of water while yours is of fire.” He grins, the humor very evident in his face as he turns it over in his head for the hundredth time that day.

Both of them share a chuckle.

Eric then leans forward and starts a search for Jasper Whitlock. He tells Godric, “I can always ask.  See if She may tell us the answer.” He reads the screens as they give the basics, and he sends off requests for more information as he is moving in and out of the different databases that hold information, many of which would be a surprise to the humans.

Snorting as he checks the Bond and the screen of his beloved, “And what Goddess or God would make it that easy?”  He believes, always has, but his own God so rarely ever stepped in that to him it is normal to not get answers.  Even Eric has had more interference in his life from his Patron than Godric had from his own, though he carries his marks on his body.

A grin crosses Eric’s face as he searches through the results.  “If it means the difference of her life, well, She may answer.” He has already prayed for an answer, and is now letting it go.  If she answers, she does. If not, then it is for them to figure it out.  Right now this Jasper Whitlock is more of a worry.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/freya-as-fire.jpg)

And a female voice answers them, “Och du skulle vara rätt, min krigare. Jag kommer att göra det klart för vampyr världen att hon är under mitt beskydd, och att denna förmån är bara på grund av min välsignelse över dig och hennes kompis. Han skulle ha fått det, men det skulle ha varit tveksamt att han skulle ha kunnat rädda hennes liv. Min gyllene krigare, kommer du att hitta fler förändringar än du förväntat. Hennes DNA ändrades av Cold Ones. Hon kommer att vara unik. Jag har välsignat dig för att kunna vara samma, så hon inte känner sig ensam. Hennes Mate är att få det från att vara hennes kompis, och hans egen Patron välsignar deras förening också. Vara beredda, fler allierade kommer. Den första av dem redan har kontaktat dig, kan du lita på Jasper Whitlock och hans bror. De har sina egna skäl för att vara unik och skydda Bella. Världen kommer att gå igenom några stora förändringar under nästa kvartssekel, och ni, tillsammans med er familj, kommer att vara i spetsen för detta.” ( _And you would be right, my Warrior.  I will make it clear to the vampire world that she is under my protection, and that this benefit is only because of my blessing upon you and her Mate.  He would have received it, but it would have been questionable that he would have been able to save her life.  My Golden Warrior, you will find more changes than you expected.  Her DNA was changed by the Cold Ones.  She will be unique.  I have blessed you to be able to be the same, so she doesn’t feel lonely.  Her Mate is getting it from being her Mate, and his own Patron is blessing their union too.  Be prepared, more allies are coming.  The first of them have already contacted you, you can trust Jasper Whitlock and his brother.  They have their own reasons for being unique and protecting Bella.  The world is going to be going through some major changes in the next quarter century, and you, along with you family, will be at the head of this_.)

They both look at her, and she smiles to them. “Vet detta, Godric, du älskade mer än du kan föreställa dig. Själva öden har klivit in och gjort en mindre ändring som kommer rippel ner i åldrarna.” ( _Know this, Godric, you are loved more than you can imagine.  The very Fates have stepped in and made a minor change that will ripple down through the ages.”)_ She glides forward and cups Eric face _._ _“_ När vampyrerna vaknar, kommer det inte vara fråga om Bella passerar daywalking till en annan. Och ingen kommer att vilja gå igenom vad som krävs för mekaniken i att det ska vara möjligt. Nu, fortsätta dina planer och inte oroa dig för din syster. Även om det gör dig både kredit att oroa henne. Mina välsignelser över er båda.” ( _Once the vampires wake, there will be no question of Bella passing the daywalking on to another.  And no one will want to go through what it takes for the mechanics of it to be possible.  Now, continue your plans and not worry about your sister.  Though it does you both credit to worry about her.  My blessings upon you both._ ) She disappears, but a light on the screen make them both see her kissing Bella on the forehead as her lips move silently.  And then, with a smiling glance to the both of them, she disappears.

“Knulla!”

Godric can’t help the bubble of laughter coming out.  “I don’t think your Goddess will like her Golden Warrior cussing.” He teases Eric.  He is relieved that there will be no threat to Bella, but he has no doubts that there will be others who will still try though.

Shaking his head, Eric wisecracks, “You wouldn’t know her well then.  She is my Patron for more than family connections.” He is giddy even.

They both chuckle. Then Eric grins. “Day Walkers.  This will be interesting.” Much more interesting…especially with Bella.

Godric grins as he looks to Eric.  “We _should_ be careful with this information. Take our time testing it out.” He is thinking of all the time he will have with his Mate.  They will be on her schedule, and he will be able to see her in the sun, and not miss any time because of him having to stay inside.  And he heard that she will have the same advantages, that when she turns, it will be mean just a diet change, and an aversion to silver…

They both look at each other, then they are gone.  They appear next to a door that has an awning over it, and stare at each other.  Eric repeats, “Should.” He is thinking of how much more he could do, how much he could be with his new sister. How they can be able to do more…

Godric nods, a mischievousness look on his face.  “Should.”

And with that, they both walk outside to greet the day.

 

 

* * *

**Final count:  2,753 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	17. I Was A Lonely Soul

 

# Eighteen And Beautiful

**[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/400700_469514256470435_1893733293_n.jpg) **

**Pre Edit Count -   2,307 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Feel Again_ by OneRepublic

 

 

* * *

_Previous:_

_They both chuckle. Then Eric grins. “Day Walkers.  This will be interesting.” Much more interesting…especially with Bella._

_Godric grins as he looks to Eric.  “We should be careful with this information. Take our time testing it out.” He is thinking of all the time he will have with his Mate.  They will be on her schedule, and he will be able to see her in the sun, and not miss any time because of him having to stay inside.  And he heard that she will have the same advantages, that when she turns, it will be mean just a diet change, and an aversion to silver…_

_They both look at each other, then they are gone.  They appear next to a door that has an awning over it, and stare at each other.  Eric repeats, “Should.” He is thinking of how much more he could do, how much he could be with his new sister. How they can be able to do more…_

_Godric nods, a mischievousness look on his face.  “Should.”_

_And with that, they both walk outside to greet the day._

_Now:_

 

 

* * *

Bella wakes to find Godric lying beside her, running his hands through her hair.  When he feels her coming to, he softly tells her, “Good evening, a thaisce.”

She yawns before his words sink in, “Evening?  Did I sleep the day away?” She looks up to his blue eyes, amazed with the color of them all over again.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/allan-hyde-63.jpg)

Godric smiles as he grins down at her. “Most of it.  It’s been an entertaining day.  We had some surprising information given to us.  It will make life much more interesting.”  He goes to give her a kiss and she pulls away.  He looks at her and lifts an eyebrow.

“Morning breath”

Godric’s laughter rings out.  “My love, your morning breath is nothing to things I have dealt with in 2,000 years!  No, a thaisce, I think that this is one thing I will not give into you about.”  And with that, he curls his hand around the back of her neck and brings her to him as he kisses her.

Until now, Bella had only by now been kissed by Edward.  Gentle, chaste kisses at that.  Godric has not been shy about showing her affection since yesterday, showering her with kisses and holding her often.  But this?  _This_ is a kiss.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/kiss-5.jpg)

Godric first presses little kisses to her lips, then as he tastes his beloved, he needs more.  He teases her, nipping that lower lip that has affected him so much when she bites it when she is thinking about something.  As she opens her mouth in surprise, he takes advantage of it and his tongue is quickly tasting every part of her mouth he can reach.

Once done mapping out her mouth, he starts rubbing her tongue, sucking on it, until he soon has her full participation as her tongue duels with his own.

Bella is lost in this kiss, not even noticing as he eases more of his weight on her, nor when he starts purring as her hands slide up his chest and are soon wrapped around his neck.

Godric is thrilled, and is not hesitant to allow his Mate as much of him as she wishes.  He may have some plans for tonight, but they are easily tossed aside if she wants him. And how he can tell she wants him!  Her emotions, her body, her divine scent!

Not liking the inability to use both hands as she is doing with him, Godric rolls them over and soon has her resting atop him, never breaking their kisses except to allow her a few seconds to breathe when she needs it.  And even then, his mouth and lips are still busy, until his Mate is ready for him again.

Bella is wrapped around Godric, but in the back of her mind she is waiting for him to reject her.  Edward always had, so this must not be all that enjoyable since a virgin would push away a willing participant.

What Bella isn’t realizing that Edward had been a prude, while Godric has had millenniums of experience under his belt.  He also has the woman of his dreams literally on top of him.  And there is no way he will ever say no to this woman.  Kings and Queens can kiss his ass as far as he is concerned.  They rank far behind the importance of Bella to him.  She is more important than anything in the world, and he will spend every day showing her this, and thanking her for being here.

His mouth is busy licking and nipping at her jaw when she has to take a big breath, his hands holding her close to him.  Godric has no intention of ending this until she wishes to.  He has been needing her, been hard for her since he first saw her.  If he can get any relief, if he and his Mate can come closer, he is all for it.  It is not like she ever has to worry about him leaving her.

Closing her eyes as he kisses her, she can feel his fangs as he lightly drags them on her skin then his tongue as he soothes each spot before taking up a new place to repeat the actions over and over. Each time his fangs are on her skin, it feels as if there is a line running directly from her skin to her lower body.  Soon she needs release of some type, and rubs against him.

Closing his eyes in joy of her movement, his hands fall to her hips and he holds her as he thrusts up against her, hoping to relieve the ache they are both feeling at this point…

Gasping for air, Bella moans, “Godric.”

His lips twitch as he thrusts himself up against her.  He also reminds himself she is a virgin.  Hating himself as he tells her, “Only as far as you wish to go, a ghra.”  Letting her know he will stop.  He will hate himself, but he will rein it in if she wants.

Bella is feeling those warm, intimate feelings and her eyes open wide as she asks, “Godric?” Her body completely stops moving as she waits for the physical denial that she is expecting emotionally.

He rolls them over and looks into her eyes as he sends her his love and his sheer need for her.  When her head falls back, he kisses her neck on the spot that he has noticed is his favorite to feed from and to nuzzle when they are close to each other.  It smells of him, probably from him always nicking his tongue to heal his marks.  Either way, it smells of him, and he loves it and pays attention to it each and every time he gets the chance. From the emotions he gets from her, she too loves his attentions.

He works his way down her throat, and is soon nudging open the buttons on her shirt. His eyes are focused on her own half-lidded stare as she watches him back. He is still instinctively moving his hips and cock against her.  He is also monitoring her emotions.  He doesn’t want to rush her, but he can feel how much they both need to have this release.

As he reaches her breasts, he grins up at her, “A ghra… so beautiful.”  And he kisses her breasts, outlining the edge of the bra she has on, reminding himself that he cannot get rid of it yet.  He cannot stop his grin when he sees the front clasp and quickly slides his hand up her body to release it.  As soon as it does, his mouth envelopes her nipples.

The incredible feeling of his mouth on her breast makes her arch her back towards him.  The pleasure is surprisingly intense.  Nothing she had ever experienced before had ever felt this good, she realizes through the haze fogging her brain.  And looking down as he nips her, seeing his eyes dark with the desire for her, she moans.

Godric grins, and soon is laying kisses across the valley between her breasts as he goes to give equal attention to the other one.  He only lifts his head from his path when her hands pull his shirt off.  His eyes continue to watch his Mate’s as he teases her other breast and nipple, his hand busy making sure the other side is getting the attention it deserved.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/man-and-woman-3.jpg)

He notices how much more eagerly her hips have been surging up against his, and he can feel her getting close.  Deciding that they have plenty of time in the future to explore each other bodies, he moves up to take her mouth with his as his hips pump against hers harder, faster.

The sensation of him moving faster against her is enough for her to feel as though sheer ecstasy explodes from her body, causing her to crush her body against his, his mouth swallowing her cry as her eyes close and she loses time to the pleasure she can feel flowing between them.

The next thing she knows, Godric is kissing her gently, his hands basically petting her body as she is trying to regain control over her breathing.  He tells her lovingly, “So exquisite.  And mine.  Thank you, a thaisce.”  He kisses her neck, curling her into his body as he can feel her trying to calm down.

Bella can feel his love and his pleasure at what they did, and she can feel tears falling from her eyes.

Smelling the salt, Godric is quick to move them both to where he can look down, and uses a hand to wipe at the tears.  “A thaisce, what is the matter?” He is also frantically searching the bond to find what out is bothering her.  He relieves the small amount of pain from her head, but even that is still so slight that she probably hasn’t even felt it yet.

Bella just curls into him, needing to feel him.  She feels his arms wrap around her as he kisses her and tells her how beautiful she is, how kind and loving.  How he worships her and will for the rest of their life, and more tears fall. She can feel him trying to soothe her, to stop her from crying.

She finally asks, “Truly?  You want me?”

Godric frowns, and looks down at her. “Of course I want you, a ghra.  You are the reason for my life.  I feel so alive, so much better than I was before.  I feel young again.  I had allowed my years to catch up with me, and had forgotten how to live in the moment.  I also very much want you sexually.”  He allows a small growl come out.  “You are so very tempting to me, the body of a goddess, out of my very dreams.  How could I not want you?”

She turns her head to the side, but Godric pulls it back into where he can look into her eyes.  What he is seeing and feeling is definitely nothing he wants his Mate to feel after they had been so in sync with each other just a few moments ago.  He asks her softly, “A thaisce, why would you think that I wouldn’t want you?  What made you think any male would turn you down?”

Tears spill out of her eyes as she just stares at him, not wanting to tell him in case he agrees with Edward.  Her lips tremble as she cannot imagine the pain she would feel if he did agree.  Or if he even laughed at her.

Godric’s face softens, and he musingly says, “Oh a searc. ( _my love, between lovers)_  what has been done to you?”  He kisses her softly and informs her, “Here are the facts, a thaisce.  I am yours entirely, mind, heart, body and soul.  I cannot even think of another person other than you.  I have craved your body since I first saw you on that forest floor before I even knew you were my Mate.  I will never reject you, in fact, I will warn you that you will often be the one who needs to slow us down.  Your body is perfect.  You taste incredible, and I look forward to making sure every single part of you has been in my mouth. I look forward to teaching you what I enjoy, and finding out what you enjoy.  But, I figure we have a couple thousand years until we can even imagine knowing each other’s bodies as well as we wish.  Then I plan on making sure that I rememorize everything.  I get lost in the beauty of you, and I can tell you now, that this will never end.  So, please, tell me, who convinced you that you are not desirable, because I would love to teach them how to recognize beauty when it is right in front of them.” His eyes are bright as he can imagine the ways he will teach these others a very serious lesson.  His a thaisce should never doubt herself, not this way!

Bella smiles, her heart melting with the sincerity she feels through the bond from him.  She loves this connection, there is no way to lie to each other.  She never has to question his emotions.  She sniffs, and finally says in a little voice, “Edward.  He rejected me anytime we went beyond a chaste kiss.  He would tell me it was too dangerous.” Even though he just told her he would never reject her, her head is down, her eyes looking anywhere other than his face.

A low growl breaks loose.  Godric looks down at his Mate, his hand on her chin lifting it to meet his eyes. “Edward is an idiot.  I have no idea how the boy has survived to these times with that type of attitude.  A thaisce, you just felt my reaction to you stemming from a single kiss.”  He grabs her hand and places on his pants.  She gasps, a feeling which him makes him smirk as he tells her, “This is the least I have when I am around you.  When we Mate, I will probably turn you just so that we can last for many days and nights, for I can tell that I will never tire of you.  And this is all before I have even had you.  I could deal with the next decade of nothing more than what we did.  Though, I will admit, I want more…much more.  I want all of you.  I want no male not being able to tell you are mine.  And I want no female not to know I too am claimed by you just as much.  I want your body to claim mine.  You are mine, but I, too, am yours.  And I am very happy to claim so.”

He holds her close to him as he lets his words sink in.  She finally asks, “Will it be like this all the time?”

He looks down at her, “Like what?”

She looks up at him, and asks, “Our feelings, being so open to each other?  Or will this fade after awhile?”

He kisses her and tells her, “Are you asking if I will be bored of you?  Never.  Will I always treat you as my equal?  Yes. Will we always desire each other?  I pray it is so from your side.  It will be from mine until the end of time.  Is this how we will be from now on, talking out our troubles?  By everything I hold dear, I am working on it being so.  But you need to remember to talk yourself.  I can’t read your mind, but if you tell me your worries and fears, I will do my utmost to banish them from you.  However, you must promise to talk to me.  Deal?”

Bella searches the Bond and his eyes.  When she finds nothing outside of what he has asked, she nods.

 

 

* * *

**Final count:  2,707 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	18. Eighteen And Beautiful

 

 

# Eighteen and Beautiful

**[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/996721_602469149793827_1226422832_n.jpg) **

 

**Pre Edit Count -   3,573 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Lady Day_ by Lifehouse

 

 

 

* * *

_Previous:_

_He holds her close to him as he lets his words sink in.  She finally asks, “Will it be like this all the time?”_

_He looks down at her, “Like what?”_

_She looks up at him, and asks, “Our feelings, being so open to each other?  Or will this fade after awhile?”_

_He kisses her and tells her, “Are you asking if I will be bored of you?  Never.  Will I always treat you as my equal?  Yes. Will we always desire each other?  I pray it is so from your side.  It will be from mine until the end of time.  Is this how we will be from now on, talking out our troubles?  By everything I hold dear, I am working on it being so.  But you need to remember to talk yourself.  I can’t read your mind, but if you tell me your worries and fears, I will do my utmost to banish them from you.  However, you must promise to talk to me.  Deal?”_

_Bella searches the Bond and his eyes.  When she finds nothing outside of what he has asked, she nods._

_Now:_

 

 

 

* * *

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/brunette-and-man-2.jpg)

Godric soon sighs.  He doesn’t want to get up from their cuddling, but he knows that they both need to rise and dress.  He, for one, cannot wait to get cleaned up and into new clothing.  He has come a long way from the vampire he had been when he turned Eric.

Looking down at his happy mate, he smirks as he kisses her behind her ear.  “A thaisce, what has you so happy?”

Not opening her eyes, Bella tells him, “Not in pain, feeling loved and cherished.  What woman would not be happy? And I think I just experienced my first orgasm…”  The last is said so softly that Godric would not have heard her if it weren’t for his heightened senses.

He holds her tighter as he speaks softly into her ear, “And it is my extreme joy to have been the first to give that to you.  But, we need to get moving or else Eric will be bursting in here.  I don’t know about you, but I need a shower, and I would treasure it if you wish to join me.  Shower only, a thaisce.  Call it…a chance to get to know each other without any sexual meaning behind it.”  He can’t stop the smirk. While there won’t be any sexual meaning, he will be feasting his senses on her body.  His personal goddess in the flesh.  Who wouldn’t?

Bella opens her eyes and pulls back enough to give him a look. “Really, Godric?  That is the best you can do?”

He playfully growls at her, “Not the best, no.  But do I need to con you into my shower, my nice, warm shower, where I promise to wash your hair for you, my lady?”

Her smile dims and she shyly looks up at him, while her hand traces his tattoo. “Godric, are we moving too fast?”

“No.”

Looking up at him she raises an eyebrow.

He leans down and lightly kisses her lips, then hovers above her, “We are Soul Mates, a pair so rare in the world that most don’t understand the tie we have.  I have waited 2,000 years for you.  You have waited 18 years.  In my mind, we both have waited too long.”

He chuckles as he thinks of Afanasi.  “Not when a personal friend of mine had found his when she was born, though I will give him that he is one of the oldest of us walking the earth.   To have been able to have been with you since you were born, that may have been about the right time.  Either way, nothing that we share or do right now will ever match the love or simple need that we have for each other.  Will I rush this?  No.  But I will take every chance presented to be as close to you as possible.” He holds her face in his hands at the end, gazing into her eyes as he pours out his thoughts on the matter for her to think about.

Bella sighs softly.  Godric tells her just as softly, “If it is too soon, a ghra, tell me.  I can wait.”

Shaking her head, she maneuvers out from underneath the blankets and stands up.  In seconds Godric is right beside her.  He takes her hand in his and, walking backwards, leads her to the bathroom.

 

 

Once inside, he smiles when Bella gasps.  He had designed it himself, and is pleased to feel her awe and how much she likes it.  He tugs her around the corner so that she can see the shower and the counters.

Bella cocks her head to the side as she comments, “Are we underground?” The light in the room worries her considering how he had impressed upon her the importance of avoiding UV light, or, rather, sunlight, in their quarters.

He grins as he tugs her closer to him. “Yes.  And the windows by the sink are really white lights behind the shades.  The one above the shower is a reflection that has no UV in it.”  He kisses her throat as he mutters, “Not that it matters anymore for us.” A smile spreads on his face as he thinks about the positives of the earlier revelation, how much he will not miss of his Bella’s life before she turns, and how much she will not miss when she, herself, turns.

Bella frowns, “What?”

Godric grins, “I will let Eric tell you, since it is you two that made it possible.  Plus he will not be patient much longer.  Come, a thaisce, let’s wash, then we are going to go shopping for at least clothing for you and your guardian.”

Bella watches as he turns on the shower, and shyly, undoes her pants.  He has stripped down quickly, and heads to the shower, only stopping just outside of it with his hand outstretched for hers.  She bites her lower lip then steps out of her panties and lets her shirt and bra fall from her shoulders.  She reaches her hand out to him.

Once her hand is in his, he steps under the water, and pulls her quickly in front of him.  He looks down at her face smiling.  Kissing her lips, he simply tells her, “Thank you.” He watches her as he  waits for her to calm down.  Once her initial nerves calm, he smiles more widely at her, and reaches over her to grab the shampoo bottle.  He pours out some, then proceeds to wash her hair, massaging her head as he does so.

As she relaxes into him, his smile gets bigger.  Only stopping long enough to rinse her hair, he massages conditioner into it, letting her head fall on his chest as he works the conditioner into her long locks.  He tells her softly, reverently, “So soft.  I love your hair a thaisce.  It is most pleasing to run my hands through it.  In fact, a ghra, I think you may have a problem.”

She smiles as he carefully rinses her hair, and she looks up to him, “Oh?”

He watchs as he carefully makes sure everything is rinsed well.  “I think it will be hard for me to keep my hands out of your hair. Especially after seeing and feeling it slide through my fingers like the silk it resembles.” His eyes remain fixed as he stares at her hair under the water; feeling it slide through his fingers is enough to stir him.

She can’t help but laugh. She cannot lie… she had looked him over pretty thoroughly earlier as she stepped to him.  To say he was large for being flaccid is like stating that the sky is blue.  But now, standing so close to him, listening to him, feeling him on her thigh, the look on his face actually mirrors his expression from when he had been adoring her body earlier. “Your face looked the same earlier.” She is surprised that he is actually turned on by her, much less her hair.

Godric looks her in her eyes. “Why wouldn’t it?  I love all of you, a ghra.  So why would I look any different now, worshiping you as I clean your heavenly body, than I did earlier when I could not only worship with my eyes, but with my whole body?”

She just stares at him, her shock evident in her features and in the Bond.

He grabs a loofah and, picking through his soaps, grabs one that isn’t too masculine scented and uses it.  He starts at her throat, and gently washes his mate as she is in shock.  His smile soon widens as she doesn’t seem to notice that he is washing all of her.

He takes care, and notices that she has no hair other than her head and a neatly trimmed patch between her creamy legs.  He is curious, but doesn’t want to break the silence.  Unfortunately, he is soon finished with his thorough cleaning of her delightful body, and not able to stretch it out any longer. A soft sigh escapes him as he positions her body under the main shower head to make sure there is no soap remaining on her body.  He thinks of how he will try to remember to take her to buy creams and lotions and such for her body.  Women delight in those things, he believes.  He personally will delight in laving the cream on her body, making sure it is soft and well kept.

But then his small Mate surprises him.  Sometime during his cleansing of her body, she had snapped out of it and just watched him.  She could sense him being curious, but other than that, he did nothing but bathe her.  And the whole time, his affection for her, the love that he was feeling more and more, is the strongest emotion she could feel coming from his side of the Bond.

So she decides to return the gesture.  She takes the loofah, puts more shower gel on it, and starts cleaning him.  She herself spends a little more time on his tattoos as they fascinate her. When she goes around to his back, she gasps slightly as she sees in detail the brand that looks as if it had been applied just that same day.  She hesitantly touches it.

“It doesn’t hurt.”

She jumps and can see him looking over his shoulder to her.  He smiles and repeats, “You can touch it.  It doesn’t hurt.” He had been curious about what she had been doing behind him, and had controlled his body well while she was so reverently touching the marks on his back.  Even when she had trailed her hand around the chief’s mark on his chest and moved around to his back he had barely managed to prevent a shudder from her light touch. But the way she had reacted and even hesitated to touch the brand on his shoulder had him encouraging her to touch it.  She should never be hesitant to touch any part of his body.  Never.

Shaking her head from her start when he spoke, she asks, “But… how can you… leave it there?  Can you not remove it?” Seeing it, remembering what it means, and why it was put on him, makes her heart ache.  Him, a Chieftain of one of the strongest tribes of his time, reduced to nothing but a slave?  Why would he want to leave such a permanent mark for anyone to see, to know?

He smiles and turns to face her. Taking her shoulders in his hands, he answers her question, “Why would I?  It is just like the other marks on my body; they are all signs that I have survived.  Each one of the other marks tells a story, and I am not ashamed of it.  I survived.  But if you wish it gone, I can have Eric take care of it.”

If it bothers her, it would only be some pain before the skin grew back.  He would trust Eric to cut deeply enough to get it all in one go.  Anything she doesn’t like, he can happily suffer through very minor pain to have it removed.  With what he has suffered through the years, he has retouched his own marks a couple of times.  When he gets the chance, he will be adding another mark on his left arm to commemorate finding his Mate.  When he Mates her, he will work on adding another band of runes to his right arm to show that event in his life.  He had last added a band for Eric’s turning, but never had enough to add a band of runes.  He will be glad to be able to finally celebrate these positive changes in his life.

Her eyes search his as she asks, “If it doesn’t matter, then it is fine.  But why would you remove it if I don’t like it?  It’s your body.” She is confused, what does it matter what she likes or dislikes?  It is his body.  Or is he going to try to dictate to her how her own body looks?

He smiles crookedly.  “Because it is yours too, a thaisce.  If it bothers you, I will have Eric cut it out.  That is how most of our kind have gotten rid of tattoos and other marks.  I have even known Makers to force their children to cleanse their body to make sure it never has marks.” He will never do so to her or Eric, or to any other children he may have in the future.  But in the future, he knows they will be their children.  Something in the old records, and what Afanasi had told him, hints that any future children will be both of theirs.  Because of the rarity of Mates in their world, none of them have experimented on this…

She is shaking her head halfway through his answer and her hand is spread on his chest, as if to stop him. “No!” She never wants him to have any pain.  And just hearing him talk about having Eric cut it out so casually gave her sympathy pains up the sides of her thighs.

He reaches up to hold her close to him, and purrs to calm her.  “My lady, it would not really hurt.  And if you do not like it, I would do whatever it took for you to be happy.”  His life is hers, in every single way she can ever imagine.  He will do anything to make her happy.

She shakes in his arms, the thought of what he is proposing to do… “No, it only bothers me if it bothers you.  Otherwise, I think all your marks, as you call them, are beautiful.  But never do something like that just to please me.  I am not worth it!” No one should put themselves through pain just to please another!

He kisses her forehead, still purring as he tells her softly, “You are more than worth it, a thaisce.  But if you are happy with it, then I will leave it.”  He holds her as she calms down, letting the water sluice between their bodies, rinsing away the pain of the years between them, allowing for a new beginning.

 

 

 

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E

ric is reclining on the couch as he converses with Paul while he waits on his lillasyster and Godric.  When they exit their room, he looks up and teases her, “That shirt looks a little large on you, syrra.” He is dressed in what Pam calls his normal downtime attire, a black track suit.

Bella is wearing a black button down shirt from Godric’s closet.  She also has on her jeans from yesterday, but she had thrown the shirt she had been wearing away, asking to borrow one.  She was slightly uncomfortable going without underwear, but Godric’s appreciative look when he realized she was going commando more than made up for it.  Unfortunately for her frame of mind, she had no idea what he was wearing under his jeans and Henley.

“I’m  happy that I can get some other clothes.  After I broke my leg, Alice had stayed to help me with private stuff.  Somehow, she had managed to throw away all _my_ clothes.  Every time I bought anything new that was more to my taste, it was gone, replaced the following day.” She stated it as though it was normal for someone to take control of another’s life to that point.

Eric couldn’t help the growl that slipped out, but he is quickly in front of her, his hand cupping her chin as he looks down at her. “Well, I promise you won’t have that problem here.  Let’s get going, you’ll probably love to have some clothing in more your own taste.” He grins down at her, his protective instincts even stronger since she looks like a young girl in her current clothes.  He can see that no matter what she borrowed, nothing would have fit since Godric and she are so different in size.  Even Pam, as petite as she is, would look large next to his dainty little sister.

Bella huffs.

Eric raises his eyebrow. “Is there something wrong? Syrra?” He will do anything to make her happy, so seeing her so obviously upset is making him wanting to fix it.

Looking up at him, she tells him flatly, “Ever since Alice, I hate shopping.  I really see nothing fun about trying on a ton of clothes.”

Godric just starts laughing. He wraps his arms around her and whispers her in her ear, “Then this Alice knew not how to shop.  Come, a ghra.  Let’s teach you the correct way to shop.” He had called ahead and had everything ready for his little one when they arrived.  He is looking forward to the evening and learning his Mate’s tastes.

Paul watches this with interest.  He is, quite frankly, fascinated with Bella.  Yes, she had dated a leech, and technically she was imprinted on by another, but Godric and Eric are not what he imagines when he thinks of the leeches.  But she is so… different.  She so easily accepts both of them just as they are.  Sam had asked Eric if he could show Paul any of the ceremony, and he was allowed to only after Paul had sworn to the same Oath.  To find out that an actual Goddess had blessed her…it made the world get just that much bigger than what he was already reeling from.  But this petite woman, who has both of these powerful vampires basically wrapped around her little finger, doesn’t give the impression that anything is any different for her.  It is as though she doesn’t realize her own power.

He follows them out the door, watching how Godric acts a lot like Sam does with Emily, but is somehow even more intense with Bella.  It’s like he needs to have his hand on her.  At the same time, she also seems to need it, too.  She relaxes with his touch.  And when he pulls her into his lap, her body completely relaxes into his.

The group talks as Eric maneuvers the town car into the Dallas traffic, and heads to one of Godric’s places.  It had been Pam’s idea one evening when Godric and she had been talking, and the project had taken off.  He had looked at the possibilities of it, and noticed that, as Pam had indicated, no one was taking advantage of technology to make some inroads in the supreme type of boutique for clothing.

With Pam’s advice as they put together the first one, the store had paid for its conception within one month, and had set the trend in that type of service in the circles of the influential.  In reward, Godric had given Pam her own store in New Orleans, and they are making money over fist.  They had opened boutiques in France and Italy just last month to even more acclaim and success.

So when they pulled up to a building that was tastefully accented with lighting and landscaping, and came to a stop under the awning with a valet quickly appearing to open their doors, Bella is a little bewildered.  “I thought we were going shopping?” This looked nothing like what Alice had dragged her to even in Seattle the few times they had made their way there.  In fact, this looked much more like a restaurant than a place to buy clothes, much less the amount of clothing that Eric and Godric had indicated that she would be buying tonight.

 

 

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Godric kisses her on the forehead then ushers her towards the entrance.  “We are, a thaisce.” He grins, looking forward to seeing her reaction.  It may have started off as Pam’s idea, but he took it and worked with it until it was something that he is actually proud of.  Even for him, shopping is much easier.  He had streamlined Pam’s idea in a way that makes it easy for even him to buy his own garments.  Gone were the days when Pam shopped for Eric and him, though she still had a bad habit of buying them clothing.

Eric walks beside Bella, and throws an arm around her shoulders. “Welcome to Gúnaí álainn.  Pam’s idea, which turned into the ball of Dallas.”  When she gives him a look, he freely laughs.  “Just wait, lillasyster, you will see the brilliance of your Mate.  He took a rant of Pam’s and turned it into a business like no other.”  His eyes actually seem to be glowing as he walks them through the entrance as the people inside open the doors for their party.

As they walk in, they see the manager standing there smiling.  She moves forward and bows to them.  “Welcome!  My name is Audrey. Godric, I have reserved the main room for you.  You said that your Mate is the primary?” She looks at the petite woman standing between Eric and Godric.

He nods as he releases her onto Eric’s arm.  He turns to Paul, “Is this ok?” He didn’t want the man who had given up everything to be the Guardian of his life to be uncomfortable.  But at the same time, he is looking forward to his little one seeing how different things will be with him.

Paul chuckles, “I have no idea what is going on.  I just need some jeans and such.” He shrugs.  While he has money, and it never bothered him to buy clothes, he has kept his style easy since none of the rest of the pack could afford the same things that he could.  He didn’t need yet another reason for the tribe to dislike him, and putting on airs, according to the rest of them, would have been a huge incentive for them to be upset.

Audrey grins, and she looks to Eric, “I can have him in a side room.  Which styles will he be needing to choose from?” She knows that Bella will be her primary focus, but she knew how important the Guardians are to the Bloodline, of which she, herself, is a member.  Her lead salesperson will be taking care of the tall Native American.

Eric grins as he looks over at his syrra.  “He is to be her Guardian, so I am not sure what will be needed. I don’t really care as long as he doesn’t stick out too much.” He hopes she can read between the lines that until they get a clearer idea of how Bella is, they will need to take a middle line with Paul’s clothing.  He has no idea of how she will want to be viewed.  Eric knows that as far as he and Godric are concerned, she is a Queen, and will be heavily involved in their plans and meetings from now on.

Eric nods down to Bella. “This is the one that I care about.  No pushing her, I want someone with us who will work with her, not someone busy trying to make a commission.” His eyes are soft looking down at her, but his voice is commanding, telling Audrey all she needs to know.  This woman is to be treated better than Eric and Godric.  Not even Pam commands the service of these two vampires.

Audrey nods.  “I planned to take care of her myself.  I figured that she will be here often and that it would be best to make a book on her.”  She nods to herself, and then holds her arm out indicating the room for them.  “I will be in after I settle Mr. Lahote in here.” The men escort Bella into the room, with both Audrey and Paul watching as the doors close.  Paul can already hear Eric teasing Bella on her style since she is from the birthplace of grunge.   He smirks as he hears her snort at Eric’s own outfit.

Turning back to Audrey, Paul raises his eyebrow to her.  “How did you know my name?”

She grins as she leads him down the hall. “Godric let me know who was in the party.  I figured out pretty quickly who you are since Godric and his Child are famous.  Or at least they are in _our_ world.  His Mate is a lucky woman.”  There is a slight tone of wistfulness in her voice, but then, Paul figures that anyone would be wistful for the treatment that those two are giving Bella.

Paul chuckles and watches as she leads him into the room.  A guy was standing there with an iPad in his hands.  “Let Troy here take care of you.  You are in for a surprise.”  With that she leaves after giving him a grin as she closes the doors behind her.

 

 

 

* * *

Eric and Godric are chatting with Bella when Audrey makes her way back into the room.  She walks forward, grabs her iPad from a nearby seat, and sits with them.

She addresses Bella, “Now, have you ever heard of Polyvore?”  She smiles at the petite woman, her head busy mentally measuring her.  For the lingerie and such, she will measure her later.  But for now, it was more important to relax Bella and to find her style than make her uncomfortable in asking for measurements.  Audrey is rarely wrong when she estimates, and she is sure that is what is needed this night.  Bella did not look comfortable yet, and it is her job to make this easy on her.

When Bella shakes her head no, she smiles. “Well, what we are going to do is similar to it.  I am going to pull up some collections and you tell me what you like and dislike about them.  No pressure, just tell me your thoughts on them, even if there is simply an aspect of the clothing that you like, maybe the color, like the pants if we had them in black instead of grey or a straight skirt instead of the one shown.  As I get a sense of your style, we will move on.  If you find something you love and want, let me know.  Everything on here is available.” She smiles as she pulls up the account she had made for Bella per Godric’s orders.  Just as in Polyvore, Bella can make her decisions without caring about or even seeing the price of the items.

Eric looks at his syrra and tells her, “Audrey is really good. Just relax, and we will have fun.” He is sprawled out in the chair beside her.  He had an iPad of his own, and before Audrey had came in, he had made some selections for himself to be delivered at the house.  He normally didn’t have many suits here, and he suspects he will need some soon.

 

 

And, amazingly enough, Bella did have fun.  Eric encouraged her to express herself, as did Godric.  They could feel in their Bonds with her when she did like something but thought it was expensive or something that would not be appropriate.  They had no issue with telling Audrey if Bella didn’t tell the woman herself.  The sense of style they were getting from her is unique.  She had no problem with dressing for meetings and such and both Eric and Godric highly approved of the clothing she picked out.  For casual, but where she thinks it might matter, her tastes were more relaxed, but still more than appropriate to be in meetings.  Her “at home lounge around” clothes, as she called them, were completely opposite.

They ordered Bella something to drink, and after a while, Paul came in to sit with them.  In less than twenty minutes, he was debating with them on the styles and such, hanging on the back of the chair behind Bella, explaining why he will help her walk in heels, since some of the dresses she had chosen just called for them.

Then Bella had a shock.  There came a model show.  And some of the clothing she had loved is there, and all she had to do is say yeah or nay.  And the men, along with Audrey, have no problems debating with her on what they thought of the clothing, with Eric and Godric chiming in that when she is changed, she will lean towards the softer fabrics when she wanted to relax.

After a while she became used to it, and really started to have fun.  With the iPad she could put together outfits, and then view them in person to see if they look the way she had imagined.  The freedom to express herself was liberating, and, along with the group chiming in with their thoughts, she is comfortable enough to express herself in ways she never imagined.

Godric had relaxed his arm where it rested behind his Mate as he watched her along with her Guardian and Eric debating styles.  He can feel her enjoyment, and noticed that she liked classical clothing, but at the same time she loves to have fun with the additional items.

He is also noting what kinds of jewelry she likes since he plans to drape her in jewels.  He acknowledges when Eric glances at him as he, too, notices the same things.  It will be easy, but hard to find her things since she loves the unique.  This makes him happy; he will love looking for stuff.  He had told Audrey to make sure that anything she wished was available for this shopping trip, no matter the price.  He can afford this and many, many more shopping trips.  He grins as notices that sometimes she innocently picks outfits that would shock her at the price, while the next has something that costs less than $10.

Eric notices it, as well, and also sees how she mixes up stuff, like the pearl necklace choker that has a platinum heart hanging from where it joins.  His syrra has a taste for the unique, but all in all he enjoys himself as he encourages her to open up.

Paul is the one who reminds them that Bella needs to eat, along with himself.  They order in, and by midnight they are almost done.  Bella had left at one point to change, and returned looking more relaxed than she had when she came in.  She had kept on Godric’s buttoned down shirt as a light jacket, and he had grinned as she walked in.  He can definitely understand why men loved to see their women in their clothes.

He watches as she eats, and only trades a look with Eric that the slight pain he is taking from her increases as the night goes on.  He is not happy about it, and will see if he can give her some blood later.  But, for now, he will try to make sure she has as much time here as she wishes.

Eric too is unhappy with the reminder that while the pain is building more slowly, it seems the only answer will be to change her.  He urges himself to remember as much as he can about the human Bella, but in a way he is looking forward to vampire Bella.

Unfortunately all good things must come to an end.  Audrey promises them that the clothes will be delivered by morning, and they soon leave.  Bella is curled up with Godric who is seated in the front seat this time with Eric, laughing at Paul stretched out on the back seat of the car.

She looks up as Eric pulls into a warehouse area.  She lifts an eyebrow, “Another business?”

Godric snorts. “No.” This warehouse is one of his that he uses in case he has to punish those who think they are above the rules he has set for his area.  But for tonight, it is being used for a totally different purpose.

Eric helps her out of the car, and gives a hand to Paul as he unfolds himself from the back seat with the comment, “The SUV should be here tomorrow.  Godric hasn’t needed a vehicle that seats more than two for a long time.”

Shaking his head at Eric, Godric dryly comments, “Nor do I really need one now.  You can fly.” He had ordered the vehicle for his Mate.  But he can see himself enjoying it.  He is also, per Eric’s suggestion, ordering a Guardian for her.  Eric will also have one for her to use when she visits him.

Eric grins at them. “But I enjoy being with my syrra!  You wouldn’t deny me that, would you, Master?” He tries to give Godric a sad face, but the effect is ruined by his laughing eyes and the overall impression Eric is giving of a much younger man.  Bella had already teased him about his hair, and after conceding an outfit to him, he agreed to get a haircut before the night is out.

Bella is grinning at them as they walk into the warehouse.  Then she stops in amazement.  “Wow.”

The vast space in front of them is full.  It has furniture set out like rooms, and has unique one of a kind items mixed in with others.  Eric leans down and tells her, “Welcome to a little repository of your Mate’s belongings.” He watches for her reaction, and it didn’t fail him this time as it did earlier.

She squeaks out, “Small?”

Looking around the choices he had indicated earlier in the day, Godric offhandedly comments to her, “Maybe a small percent of it.  If you do not find anything for our home here, I will gladly let you look through the inventory online.  I just thought this might be easier.” He is also noticing the superb job the team did in hiding the true purpose of this warehouse.  Later Bella will know about it, but right now she has enough on her plate.

Bella looks back at Paul, her eyes wide as she mouths, “A percent?”

He laughs at her.  Godric looks down as he tells her seriously, “Be picky, a thaisce, please.  I want our home to have only what you wish it to have.  If there is nothing I own that will satisfy you, let me know, and it will be purchased or made.  Your imagination is the limit.”  He wants their home to be comfortable for her, a place where she can retreat when their lives became hectic.

Watching her face, Eric tells him, “I think you overwhelmed her, Godric.”

Paul is looking around and causally mentions, “I am overwhelmed, and I ain’t exactly poor.” He is amazed by the selection surrounding them.

Godric just shakes his head.  Neither of them can truly understand that both he and Eric have lived a very long time.   With a long life comes a great many belongings, and both of them believe in safety.  They switch out homes often, and Pam loves to redecorate for them.  Nudging his mate, he tells her, “Go look.  You don’t have to choose anything right now.  Act like you are in a showroom without any pushy salesmen.  Just make mention to me or Eric what you like, and we will remember it for you.”  And they will also remember any details to help her with any decorating she wishes to do.  He has a feeling that they will be visiting paint stores soon, too, since she has mentioned how she hates the white.

Taking a deep breath, Bella does as he asks.  Telling him as they start, “I have a feeling I am going to be shopped out by the end of the night.”

Godric chuckles. “This is only the beginning, a thaisce.  We have much more to do, but take your time.  We are in no hurry.”

And with that, the foursome work their way through the warehouse, soon joking and laughing as they walk among priceless artifacts that Bella has no idea that were brought out of hiding specifically for her to look at tonight.  Tomorrow they will be shipped back to the safe climate-controlled storage facilities where they had previously been hidden.

 

 

 

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**Final count:** **6,236** words.

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	19. Your Sweet Moonbeam

# Your Sweet Moonbeam

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**Pre Edit Count -   3,371 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Hey Soul Sister_ by Train

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_Previous:_

_Godric just shakes his head.  Neither of them can truly understand that both he and Eric have lived a very long time.   With a long life comes a great many belongings, and both of them believe in safety.  They switch out homes often, and Pam loves to redecorate for them.  Nudging his mate, he tells her, “Go look.  You don’t have to choose anything right now.  Act like you are in a showroom without any pushy salesmen.  Just make mention to me or Eric what you like, and we will remember it for you.”  And they will also remember any details to help her with any decorating she wishes to do.  He has a feeling that they will be visiting paint stores soon, too, since she has mentioned how she hates the white._

_Taking a deep breath, Bella does as he asks.  Telling him as they start, “I have a feeling I am going to be shopped out by the end of the night.”_

_Godric chuckles. “This is only the beginning, a thaisce.  We have much more to do, but take your time.  We are in no hurry.”_

_And with that, the foursome work their way through the warehouse, soon joking and laughing as they walk among priceless artifacts that Bella has no idea that were brought out of hiding specifically for her to look at tonight.  Tomorrow they will be shipped back to the safe climate-controlled storage facilities where they had previously been hidden._

_Now:_

* * *

After the warehouse, the three head back to the house.  Bella cuddles into Godric as she listens to the talk around her, more than content being with him, being held in his arms.

She thinks back to just a few days ago when she had worried about how Edward and the rest of his family acted oddly around her. She had worried that Edward and Alice would be upset by her ruining her party, which she hadn’t wanted in the first place.  She had worried about her father, if he was eating right, if he had clean clothes for the following week as she cleaned the house.  She had even worried about how she was going to get the money for gas and food.

Now, she had just spent who knew how much money on clothing, then had been taken to a warehouse that had, according to her Mate, maybe a percent of what he owned for her to pick through with the promise to show her even more tomorrow for the rest of the house.  He had also said that they needed to shop for things for the kitchen. Eric had even mentioned that he will also be paying attention to that since he wanted his home to be ready for her.

She frowns as she thinks over what Eric said, and finally asks, “Eric?”

He glances over at her, “Yes?” His eyebrow arches up as he continues driving to their home.

Looking over from Godric’s arms, no idea how she appeared all enclosed in his Maker’s arms, she asks, “Umm, if I am going to be changed soon, why _are_ you worrying about kitchen stuff?” She couldn’t figure out a better way to put it, so she just laid it out there.

Both men’s jaws tighten as they register her thoughts.  Paul is watching them, his eyebrow raised as he wonders why they seem so pissed because of the question.  He too is questioning why they are spending money on it.  Changing her is the only answer he knew to her infection by the Cold Ones, and it seemed to be the only way Godric won’t kill himself if she dies.  His people didn’t like the Cold Ones, but he admired his new leaders and wanted neither to die because of something they could easily change.

Eric pulls his fangs back in and answers her, his dark eyes on the road. “Just because you will be changing, doesn’t mean that there will not be a reason for you to be in Shreveport before then.  Also your Guardian will need the kitchen.”  And he hopes against hope she can visit before she needs to be turned.  Godric and Eric both want her to be able to do all she wants to do as a human before then.  They really want it to happen on her terms, and not because of the Cold Ones.

Thinking on it, Bella nods.  That makes sense to her, and is something she will have to remember.  Paul eats…a lot.  Then she asks the next question in her head, “Why do you guys call Paul my Guardian?” The information she has bubbling up doesn’t make sense, so she is hoping they will fill in the details that she is not understanding.

Godric laughs as he feels her confusion and her wanting to know. “That is my fault, a thaisce.  Alcide and his family have been named Guardians to our line, and are often the ones that take care of guarding our day rest as well as performing other duties.  Paul has accepted the position as your Guardian.  For now, he will be guarding you as you are with us.  But he will be working with Alcide to learn the position and will be in charge of your security as well.”

Glancing at Eric she asks, “And who guards Eric?” This is what confuses her.  If Alcide guards Godric because of his place, and Paul is to be hers because of her position as not only Godric’s Mate, but the sister of the Second, who guards Eric?

Eric gruffly answers, “No one.” He didn’t want one.  He cannot stand to have a reminder of how short their lives are.

She looks at him and raises an eyebrow, “And why do you not have a Guardian?”

Eric sighs, knowing through their bond she will not let it go. “For so long I have been Godric’s child, and only accepted Guardians if Godric’s present one is fine.  I trained up Alcide.  But other than being Godric’s child, there has been no real reason for me to have one.  I am careful with my resting places, and there was nothing to gain unless they wanted my position as Sherriff.  Godric has a standing order that if someone challenges me for it, and I truly think there is a chance I may not win, I have to give up my position.  Now this is something that no one outside of this car, including Alcide, knows.”

He glances at Bella then the mirror to Paul. Then he tells her, “I also don’t like the reminder of the mortality of someone who guards me.  I feel that if they are the ones who put their lives on the line for me, then I should know them.  It hurts when they pass.”

Godric rumbles the other part of the reason he has never insisted on Eric having a Guardian.  “Eric just got promoted to the position I should have had him in all this time.  He is formally my Second.  His decisions carry weight against all but the two of us.  And as your brother, as my Child, he has a lot of say within our Bloodline.  As soon as we can get another of the tribe or find another who we trust enough to guard him, we will.  We also will be working on getting the houses of Louisiana and Texas in line.  Texas will be easy and in fact you will be meeting Andrew tomorrow.  He will be working with me as he always has in getting everything ready.” He cannot hide his smile as he remembers Andrew.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/james-mcavoy-aka-andrew-roberts.jpg)

Eric snorts. “And as he has always wanted to give you the Kingdom you deserved, Godric.” He grins at how uncomfortable Godric looks with the statement.  But it is the truth.  Godric has long deserved his own Kingdom, and the world will be a much better place now that he is a King in it.

Paul is confused. “I don’t understand this Bloodline thing.  Alcide mentioned that I will probably be brought into it.  What did he mean?” He did not get the whole Bloodline thing since Alcide told him that until he became one, he needed to talk to Godric and Eric for any more information.

Godric chuckles and nods to the house in front of them as they drive through the gates.  “We will discuss it more inside.” It is not something he wants to risk anyone not of the Bloodline knowing.  It may be general information among vampires, but they all jealously guarded such things like it was a dragon’s hoard.

With that the foursome is quiet as Eric pulls out and is at Godric’s door with his hand raised to assist his sister out of the vehicle.  They soon enter the house.

The living room is so sparsely furnished that Bella wrinkles her nose at it.  Godric laughs and guides her to an overstuffed chair and pulls her to sit with him. He knows how much she hates the sparsely furnished decor, as he feels her dislike through the bond.  That is why he is making his Mate’s comfort in their nest his first priority.

Eric and Paul sit on the couch, both relaxing as they watch the couple in front of them.  Eric is slightly envious of the closeness of his lillasyster and his Maker, but he is content for the most part.  He basks in their feelings for each other.  Bella is beginning to love Godric, almost as much as he loves her.  Some of that is the bond, but a lot of it is due to them being soul mates.  When you find your other half, your soul knows it.

Godric takes her hand in his as he gathers his thoughts.  His mind is busy a maintaining watch over his Mate’s pain level, and he cocks an eyebrow as he realizes that she is feeling less pain.  He looks at Eric and his son looks back at him with an innocent expression.

Shaking his head, but sending his appreciation to him, he looks to Paul.  The large man, unlike Sam, is fully dressed.  He also carries himself with a sense of watchfulness, as though he is always noticing the area around him.  Godric nods as he looks over his mate’s Guardian.  He would be happier with a Vampire, but during the day, that is not possible.  He brings his mind back to the question Paul asked in the car.

“The Bloodline.  This is a conversation you never repeat to another.” His stare is steady, making sure the shifter understands that he is serious.

Paul nods, “The same as the oath ceremony?” That was one for the books, and he will never tell anyone about it, nor  about what Sam was told.

Eric shakes his head, “Not quite that sacred.  That is probably the most intense oath taking I have ever heard of.  But this ranks pretty high on the list.” He knows that the moment ranks high in his memory as something sacred, even more than being turned or really anything in his life.

Godric nods his head. “The Bloodline is easy, but complicated.  It starts with me, it ends with me.  I am the Bloodline.  Everything traces back to me, and now Bella.  She, as my Mate, is my equal in everything.  As soon as the Mating Bond was initiated, she had every right to the Bloodline that I do.  She probably does not understand it completely, and it is something I will need to teach her.  But since once she is my child she will feel it more _then_ , it makes no sense to teach her something she will actively work to reach when, unfortunately, she will be part of it within a month.” He wishes it could be longer for his little Mate, and he knows that the both of them, Eric and himself, will do everything to stretch out the time for her.

Paul jumps on that, “I thought you would want her to be your child as soon as you could.” He does not understand this part; why not make sure your mate is at your side?

Eric answers him, “Godric wishes Bella to turn when she wishes.  If he had his way, he would have actively put off the mating and the bonding until she asked for it.  He wanted to allow her to learn about him and to let him romance her.  He wanted it to be a love connection in every way.” And Eric can admire him for that.  He doesn’t know how he would handle meeting his mate and not touching her to finalize the mating.  To hold off, and just date her, but never holding her hand, to help her out of the door, to never escort her with his hand touching her.

Bella smiles at her Mate. “And it is going to be with the more I learn about him each day.  For me this is better since I do not question how he feels for me nor do I doubt that I am good enough.  He never lets up on the love he sends to me.  And Eric also seems to sense when I start doubting myself and the two of them gang up on me.” For her, this was perfect.  They needed to have this bond.  After how Edward had trampled all over her heart and how her own family used her, she needed to be reassured all the time.  Luckily, neither male was upset with her; they were upset at what caused her to be like this.  They are infinitely more patient that she would be.

Shaking his head Paul questions it. “But how?  You met days ago?” He knows it supposedly happens to imprints, but it really doesn’t make sense.  How would you fall in love with someone so fast?

Seeing that he is trying to understand, Eric tells him, “Mating is instinct.  It is so rare for our kind that it is legend.  It may also be the reason that it is so easy for Mating to be initiated.” He wished he could explain it better, but it is simply that –  a mating instinct.  Godric and Bella fell in love in first sight.

Shaking his head, Paul just doesn’t understand. He didn’t when Sam showed him, nor did he really understand it now with another species doing the same thing.  How can you know you love someone without really knowing them?

Godric tells him, after kissing Bella’s hand, “I just explained this to Bella.  Think of the millions of people on the earth now.  And then think of the trillions of people that have been.  Your mate could be any of those people.  There is no pull, nothing to help you unless you are physically close.  Even then, Bella’s scent called to me, but if I had not had the windows down, I would have never caught it.  The chances of us finding our mates are so rare that it is truly a miracle I found Bella.” He smiles down at her, “It’s why I call her a thaisce, my treasure.” And he thanks his Gods every day for her.  She is his gift, and he will live all the millenniums to come happily by her side.

Eric nods.  “Godric is lucky, but then, so am I.  I cannot explain how I knew the minute we saw each other that she was to be my sister.  However, we both were told by our Patron that it is so for both Godric and me.”  He grins. “In fact, mien lillasyster, you have given Godric and me a great gift.” He grins, his eyes twinkling mischievously.  He looks for a second like the college boy he might have been in this time and age.

She arches her eyebrow at him, “Oh?” She is inwardly grinning at his face, and the…fun? through the bond.

Godric is grinning. “We had a visit today by your Patron, and the result of that visit allowed us both to see something we have not seen for thousands of years.  We both thank you!” He is thrilled – this is something that she will share with them, and he can’t wait to see her in the sunlight.

Bella stares at them. “The sun?  Are you kidding me?  You got to see the sun for the first time and you couldn’t wait for me to watch it?”

Paul watches both of them carefully, having been told by Alcide how important it is to not ever expose either one of them to sunlight because of their age and how quickly it will burn them.  Literally.

Eric is grinning like a kid. “It was wondrous, Bella.  We both walked outside, and it didn’t burn us, we felt no pull, nothing.  It was like when I was human.  The sun!”  He can’t control his glee.  He too wishes to play with his sister in the sun.

Regarding at both of them, Bella frowns. “Why do I have the feeling you intentionally didn’t wait for me in case it went wrong….”

Godric and Eric’s emotions make her leap up. “That’s it!  You were worried about it not working, so you decided not to wait for me in case it burned you!  Why the hell?  What were you… Argh!”

With that she walked out of the room, pure anger pouring down the bonds as Godric and Eric stare after her in shock. Paul starts laughing at their faces. “I think it is safe to say you guys pissed her off.” He can understand her position, _especially_ just after what Godric had told them about how rare it is to find their mates.

Godric is soon gone after his mate, to try to redeem himself in some way in her eyes, and Eric is left sitting there.  Paul waives his hand in front of the vampire’s face.

Blinking back to himself, he says, “She is really mad.” He is shocked.  He thought she would be happy for them both, and enjoy the fact that there is another way that they cannot be hurt.  Instead…she very angry.

Paul is still laughing. “Yeah, I would be to.”

Arching his eyebrow, Eric asks, “Why?  I thought she would be happy to not have to worry about the risk of us being eliminated by the sun.” He really can’t understand why she is so mad that their bond is actually burning him with her anger.

Still chuckling, Paul tells him, “Because you risked yourself.  Why did you not want her there?”

“So she wouldn’t stress out.  A couple drinks of blood would have healed us and she wouldn’t have known.” Eric is shaking his head.  An extremely brief exposure would not really have hurt them, but they both knew she would have gone nuts if they had burned at all.  To them, however, it would have been as nothing.

Shaking his head, Paul asks, “And what if these enemies of yours somehow picked today to be prowling about and saw you two outside?  And before you could get under cover, they yanked you outside?  The Mate that you just told me, that you told _her_ , is so rare to find, is gone, and her new brother is gone, too, just like that?  When she had given up everything to be here?” He lifts an eyebrow back at the elder vampire, waiting for him to get it.

Eric opens his mouth and then shuts it.  “She would have been devastated.”

Paul nods.  “You named me her Guardian.  To me that involves more than just guarding her body.  Like you, I am beginning to see her like a sister.  But unlike you, I haven’t been removed from the idea of it by thousands of years.  You two need to think of _her_.  I don’t doubt you have already set her up for life.  From what I have seen, she doesn’t want any of that.  She only wants the company. Think of that before you risk your lives again.” His voice is harsh, but his sentiment is exactly what Eric wants from someone guarding his sister.

Eric nods as he cocks his head and looks down to where he can sense her.  “For now, I think I will let Godric deal with her.  I will make my apologies after him.”  He also has to think of a way to get back in her good graces.  He doesn’t think that giving her his credit card would work like it would with Pam.

Paul nods. “It is best.  And flowers, Eric.  Flowers help.  Even if she is a sister.” He can see the other man trying to think of something, anything, to give her.

The two nod at each other.  Then Eric begins explaining more of the Bloodline to him, knowing that with this new Guardian, it will be a well reasoned decision. It is one that he will be happy endorsing to his Maker.

* * *

Bella somehow finds her way back to the bedroom and flings herself on the bed.  She cannot believe how immature those two are!! They risked their very lives!!  Do they not understand what they mean to her? Do they not know how devastated she would have been to learn that they were gone…just like that?

Godric stops and looks at his Mate on the bed.  He can feel how very upset she is. He reaches out to her in their Bond as he moves to her side. He does not understand why she is this mad about something that to him, while a big deal, is also relatively minor.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/sad-godric.png)

Stiffening as she feels him, she grits her teeth. “Why?” Why would he risk himself?  Did he not truly love her?

His hand on her back, his purr coming to sooth his little mate, Godric asks, “Why what, a ghra?” He does not understand  this.  She is just so mad, he cannot comprehend it, but he needs to fix this.

Looking up at him, she asks, “Why did you risk yourself?  Do I mean that little?”

Frowning at her, “You mean everything to me, a thaisce.  Why do you doubt this?”  Why would she think that?

She snorts at him and moves away. “If I meant everything, then why did you not wait for me?  Why did you risk yourself?  Do you really think I would not miss you if something happened? Godric, tell me how this should make me feel?”

Godric just stares at her.  Finally, he slowly answers, “I was thinking you would be happy, a ghra.  I did not think of anything but the fact that if this is true, then I can spend more of our time together.  That I would be able to be by your side at all times.  That I can see you in the sun.  And then I thought of the pain I would feel if this were not true.  How I carefully did not think about these missed times, the missed visions of seeing you in the sun as you belong.  That if this were true, then there would be no difference for you from being as you are now, to being like me except your diet and an aversion to silver.  I apologize that these thoughts did not occur to me about how you would miss not being able to see it.” He is trying to show her that he did think of her; he never wanted to feel disappointment from her.  But feeling this anger?  Worse…far, far, worse.

She huffs and closes her eyes, attempting to calm herself as she tries to explain this to him.  She starts, “Godric, I was happy when you told me, and yes I admit I wished that I hadn’t missed that chance to see you guys in the sun for the first time.  But to hear that you didn’t want me there because you were worried that it was not 100% safe, but that went ahead and did it anyway, that hurts more.  You were so uncaring about your own safety that it may have left me not only without my other half, but also may have ripped my brother away at the same time? All that tells me is that you don’t take me as seriously as I take you.” She opens her eyes and stares at him, trying to get him to understand her.

Godric stands up and stares down at her. “Both of us could move fast enough to remove ourselves if anything happened.  There was no chance of anything but a minor burn happening.” Why is she not understanding this?  They would not risk themselves like she is implying.  Did she not trust them?

“Then why not wait?”

He answers her, “Because I didn’t want you to witness that!  I didn’t want you to smell it, to see me, to _feel_ it as it crosses the bonds between us!  I never want you to have to suffer any of that!  Nor did I want your hopes raised on something that could have been nothing.  I want nothing but your happiness, for you to be pain free.  I will do anything to make sure you are safe, loved and not hurt!  Even if it may take a slight risk on my part.” He is earnest, and not yelling, but only because that is not Godric.  Godric does not yell.  But this is the first time in his long life, that he is coming close to it.

She stands up and staring into his eyes she demands, “And why would you think I would want anything less for you?  This is not a time to have you being cavalier about your safety when we have no idea what is going on with the Cold Ones, with you planning to take a throne.  I have said nothing, trusting that you would keep yourself and Eric as safe as possible.  But this?  This makes me worry more.  It makes me worry that you not taking your security, your safety, seriously enough.” She is fierce, standing up to her Mate, demanding him to listen to her.

Staring down at his mate, Godric ponders her thoughts.  He reaches up and slowly puts his hand on her neck, cupping her face.  “My precious thaisce.  I…did not think.  I wanted to surprise you, and thought on the positive.”  He sighs.  “This is hard.  I did not think on these other issues.  I felt like a child again, giddy with the excitement of what it could mean.  The benefits for our relationship.” He looks away from her as his shoulder sag.

“I’m sorry.  But you also need to realize that I could have had Eric and me out of the light and into the safety of the house within seconds.  I did think of precautions.” He is always thinking of them.  Did she not understand that these thoughts go on at all times in the back of his head?

Leaning into his hand, Bella looks at him. “And if someone had been out there trying to get in, someone with silver?  What then?” She just wants him to understand her position.  And to make her feel better.

He leans forward and rests his forehead on hers as he pulls her closer. “Then there might have been a chance.  But, a ghra, we did look, and we did make sure that we could not be captured as easily together.  Eric and I have been taking care of ourselves for so long that such things are ingrained within us now, they are second nature.  But I have allowed that I was wrong, how I should be even more careful with my safety, and with you at risk.  Cannot you allow how I would not risk myself needlessly?  That I would not take my safety in stride as I normally would?” He stares down into her eyes, trying to compel her to understand with just the force of his will.

A tear slips out of her eye as she whispers, “You told me how you were ready to give up when we met.  Godric, that scares me.  How do I know that you won’t give up again?  That you take yourself seriously enough to not risk yourself?  How can I give you my heart unless I know you won’t tear it out again?” Though this is too late, he has her heart if she is honest, but she is craving the assurance from him.

His own eyes fill as he can feel her emotions.  He pulls her closer, telling her, “That was before you came into my life, Bella.  You changed me, you made me feel alive.  I will fight for you, kill for you, but I will not die for you.  I will live for you, show you that I have the strength to survive by your side, loving and enjoying life.  I promise I will think more before I react, but I need you to allow for the fact that I do think of this continuously.  Can you do this?” He asks her, pleads with her to allow him this.

A sob comes out as she nods. “Y-yes.” She gives into his need for her to agree with him.

He holds her closer, and without her realizing it, he floats them to back to the bed holding her as she cries into his chest.  He tells her softly, “I told you I would never have you regret giving me a chance.  I still am striving to this.  This is as new to me as it is to you, a ghra.  Be patient with me, and I will give you everything.”

She nods her head, and he holds her as she cries, promising himself that he will think twice before acting.  His Mate is new to his life, and he is new to her being in his life. They will have disagreements in the future, but he resolves to listen as he just did, as he suspects that none have in the past.

* * *

**Final count:  5,034 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	20. Paradise Is Coming

# Paradise Is Coming

**[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/1240298_392155264245471_1129467968_n.jpg) **

**Pre Edit Count -   2,310 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Better Life_ by Keith Urban

* * *

_Previous:_

_He holds her closer, and without her realizing it, he floats them to back to the bed holding her as she cries into his chest.  He tells her softly, “I told you I would never have you regret giving me a chance.  I still am striving to this.  This is as new to me as it is to you, a ghra.  Be patient with me, and I will give you everything.”_

_She nods her head, and he holds her as she cries, promising himself that he will think twice before acting.  His Mate is new to his life, and he is new to her being in his life. They will have disagreements in the future, but he resolves to listen as he just did, as he suspects that none have in the past._

_Now:_

* * *

Godric stares down at his Mate as she finally falls asleep in his arms.  She is safe from anything and everything that could harm her, protected from the dangers that could try to hurt his little Mate physically.

Unfortunately, that list does not include the pain he and Eric could inflict upon her without even knowing. The fight from last night had seriously hurt his fragile Mate.  He will remind his son that they need to be more careful around her.  As she told them, she is trusting her heart to them both, trusting in that they are going to be there for her. He also needs to figure out a way for them to discuss their disagreements.  They are too alike to allow them to argue in the way they just did.  It hurt her, him and Eric.  There has to be an easier way for them to talk it out.

He chuckles though as he heard his son listening to Paul’s advice, and he can now hear the clicking that is probably Eric ordering the flowers that had been recommended.  Godric had already taken care of his own apology to his Mate earlier when she had taken what she called a human moment. He didn’t think the flowers would be enough from him, but he had an idea of what he could give her later that will be sufficient.

Sighing, he nestles her closer to him, and feels the need to rest, to actually sleep, for the first time in many centuries.  Knowing that he will not be dead to the world, that instead it will be a real rest, is something he can enjoy.  He and Eric will play with this new ability to see how much time they need to rest and so forth.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/godric-sleeping.jpg)

With all this in his mind, he slowly gives way to sleep. He will take with his Mate what she calls a nap so that she can be rested for later.  Even though they have the ability to daywalk, they will still need to remain on night hours to keep up with their duties.  Tomorrow will be soon enough to discuss his ideas with his Mate, and tomorrow night is when she meets another member of the family.  He smiles as he falls asleep, happy that they had solved the problem tonight.

* * *

In another part of Dallas a vampire awakens and sits right up.  He reaches out and calms when he senses that his Maker and brother are back in the city. He rubs his face, feeling the stubble and thinking he might need to shave before he meets his new Queen.  His bright blue eyes twinkle as he thinks of the fun he is going to get to have.

He smiles as he feels the joy in both of his bonds with them.  Yes, it has been a trying time with the announcement of Godric taking a Mate, and he has had to fend off his so-called sister and her many attempts to try to command their Maker.  He shakes his head wryly when he thinks of the madness that is Nora.

Godric is not one to be commanded. The sooner Nora realizes that her supposed ‘Authority’ is a joke, the better it will be all around. She thinks way too much of herself and the influence she thinks she holds. The general vampire pubic is placated by not ever knowing what those vampires do, but if they ever actually tried anything, they would quickly find out just how much power they truly have: none.

There are many vampires behind the scenes, and most of them favor the Bloodline.  Nora’s pettiness is going to land her in trouble.  Roman will not allow it, especially as he is a member of the Bloodline.  No, Nora is going to land herself in a lot of trouble in the very near future if she doesn’t stop her behavior.

He moves quickly to his computer, and looks through the correspondence and sees what needs to be done so he can plan his night.  Sighing when he sees the many requests from Nora and her current idol, Salome, he puts them all in an email and sends them to Roman.  He can figure out how to get a handle on the two of them, and he hopes he does this soon before they irritate Godric too much.

Seeing the emailed request from Godric to present his Mate to him is one that makes him grin.  He quickly fires off the reply along with a side comment that he will enjoy meeting his future Queen.  He also thinks about what he can bring with him to get in his new Queen’s good graces.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/andrew-robers1.jpg)

 He leans back in his chair, his hands behind his head, as he thinks of Mates.  Finally, he grins.  Godric’s Mate is going to be like him; she will compliment him and he her.  So he will gift her with an item that really means something…and he has the perfect gift in mind.

That done, he heads to his closet to get ready.  But before he makes it too far, his phone rings.  Grinning at the ring tone he assigned Eric, Bad Boys, he answers. “I hear we have a new sibling.” His rich baritone voice gets in the first jab at his brother.

A growl comes through the phone.  “Mine.  She will become your sibling later, but she is my blood sister.” Eric is preening, knowing that he will win this little contest with his brother.  Sibling rivalry at its best, and for them, it was all in fun.  They have had each other’s backs literally too many times for it to be anything but fun.

Andrew sits down laughing.  “You always were a jealous one.  So what happened?” His voice settles, but there is curiosity.  It is times like this that he hates the monarchy he assumed to allow his Maker the freedom he wanted.  He would have loved to have been there when Godric met his Mate.

Eric looks out on the patio, watching as Alcide trains Paul in some moves.  “Godric found his Mate in a bumfuck town, as Pam calls it.  He called me to him since her family didn’t acknowledge the treasure that they had. Also, the Cold Ones had infected her and her father.  Unfortunately, the father will survive.  Syrra is having issues.” He made note of spots he thinks the shifter needs to work on.  His mind is also on all the flowers that had arrived as his ‘I’m sorry’ move.  He hopes he read her right and that she would appreciate receiving wildflowers.  He had even made sure that they are all ones from his childhood, hoping the bubbling as her mind retrieves the information will show her that he really is sorry.

In his room, Andrew leans forward. “Infected?  What the fuck, Eric?” His Queen is infected?  What the hell?  He stands up and, looking through the emails, he finally realizes that is why his brother had sent requests for information on the Cold Ones.  He had forwarded it, but he sent it back out with the comment that he would appreciate any more information.  He also sent it to some private investigators to get them on the tail.  Maybe a specimen would help?

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/hair-cut-eric.jpg)

Sighing as he runs his hands through his hair that he had gone out and gotten cut per Bella’s request, Eric tells him, “Godric thinks, with Ludwig’s endorsement, that the Cold Ones can infect the brain of humans.  Bella was also bitten by one, but the fucking idiot that she was dating sucked the venom out.  Not all of it, however, since after the ceremony making her my blood sister, I managed to open the scar and the doctor and I drained the shit out of her.  And let me tell you, that shit is lethal.  Even with two blood bonds, it is still killing her.”  He is not used to the shorter hair, and right now, it is one thing among many.  His mind is still working over his apology to his syrra, making points on the shifter, and keeping track of this conversation with his brother.  Who says males can’t multitask?

“What?”

Looking down, Eric nods.  He barely can process the whole situation, and he has been there for most of it, much less Andrew who is just now hearing about it.  “They are not only Mated, but Bella agreed to be his Bonded since we know there are idiots out there that would not respect a Mate Bond.  Even now, with both Godric and me bonded to her, we are taking the pain from her to give her more time as a human.” His mind slides back to the bond, and pulls more pain from his lillasyster.  He can’t understand how she is still feeling pain.  It’s not as bad as it was before, but it is still there, and he wanted nothing more than to give her the time she so richly deserves.

His head resting in his hand, Andrew sighs. “So Godric is not going to become King anytime soon, then.” He is more upset about the pain his Queen is in, but at the same time, he had hoped…  He truly wants to be with Godric and Eric, and now Bella.  His heart is with them at all times, why cannot his body be, too?  But he will persevere in this until Godric is ready.  He will do anything for the man who became his Maker in a miracle.

Not being able to hold the smirk, Eric replies to him, “Oh no, brother.  You will be stepping down, and becoming his Lieutenant.” He waits for the remarks he is sure to hear.  As it is, he is smirking because of the dead silence on the phone.  And the longer it goes on the bigger his grin gets.

Frowning, Andrew blurts out, “But you are named Second.” He’s trying to understand this.  Is his greatest wish finally being granted?

Eric’s eyes go darker for a second. “Godric said that he will take Texas, but he also wants Louisiana because of the pull that made me stay there.  He wants to watch Sophie Anne and take it from her once we figure out what the hell she’s doing.  That will allow him to cement his power in Texas, and allow Bella the time she needs for the change.” What is not being said is that once Louisiana is under Godric, he will be helping him.  For now, it is better that Eric stay in the state until the takeover is finished.

Andrew snorts. “When Godric decides to take action, he doesn’t hesitate, does he?” His mind is still reeling, but he can’t help the huge grin.  Finally!

“Nope, but wait until you meet Bella.  She is the reason, my brother.  He would give her the world if he could.” Eric’s voice reflects that Godric will not be the only one to do as much for her.  Eric is every bit as happily wrapped around her finger as Godric is.  The joy he feels at having a sister rebounds through all their bonds.

Andrew smiles.  “I look forward to tonight then.  What else is going on that I may help with?” He is eager to get working on the other stuff, to make this move easier on his Maker, and to hit the ground running as he will be at their sides from now on.

Eric is soon talking to him about Godric’s plan for the club he had been slowly putting together.  He wants Bella’s take on it.  Andrew is impressed by the information that Godric had put together.  He is aware of the area where Godric wants to build the club, and as part of the McKinney Street bars it’s in an excellent location, and it will also allow for the passage of vampires that will be going through the club when Godric takes over.  All in all, it is a great plan.

Then the conversation pauses as Eric says, “He is also getting hassled about claiming Bella as his.” His voice is hard, as it normally is when he talks about Nora.  He is so very thankful Godric stepped in, but he hates that she makes their lives miserable.

Andrew growls, “Nora.”

“He sent the information to Roman.  If you hear anything else…”

Andrew nods into the phone. “I’ll do what I can to push it through.  I’m going to get ready.  When will he want to transfer power?  You know it is already acknowledged since I have stated from the beginning I was only Holding in his place.” He grins as he makes his way to his closet.  He wants to arrive at the house as soon as he can get out of here.  He knows he will have a few things to handle since no one knows that Godric is, basically, already King now.

A snort comes through the phone.  “Be prepared.  I have no idea how fast this is moving, but be prepared.”

With that, the two hang up.  Andrew gets ready for his meeting with his new sister and Queen.  As he stops by a case, he reaches in and grabs the one thing he can see his Queen loving, remembering how much Eric and Godric had appreciated it when he presented it to them.

* * *

Bella slowly wakes up, at first not understanding why she is being held by a being much warmer than Edward.  She reaches out with her senses to find out what is going on, and finally opens her eyes.

As her eyes open, she sees Godric holding her, and looking for all the world as though he is sleeping with her. She can’t help the smile that crosses her face in seeing the ancient vampire looking like the young man he physically appears to be.  Her hand reaches out and gently touches his face, her mind shocked when his eyes open to meet hers.

“Good morning, a thaisce.”  His head moves and he nuzzles into her hand as he enjoys the peace and the contrast from yesterday’s emotions from her.  His voice is heavy with sleep, and he is thoroughly enjoying the waking up process for the first time in two thousand years…especially with his love next to him.

Wide-eyed with shock, she’d never thought nor dreamed of hearing him having a sleep heavy voice, much less of him waking up beside her.

He feels her joy and amazement.  “I plan to sleep with you often, a ghra.  Since we have so much more time in each day, there will be no harm in spending all the time with you that I can.” And knowing that they will share such an unusual experience for vampires makes him smile.

Bella shakes her head. “Aren’t you going to get bored with me, Godric?” She just can’t see how he could want to spend so much time with her.  She is not very interesting; he will get bored.  This is the only conclusion she can come to.

He chuckles, and sends her his love, the love that will never die for this woman. “Do you think I will ever grow bored with you, a thaisce?  As it is, I suspect that Eric will claim some of your time to spend with you also.  You will find that once we meet with Andrew, our lives will become very busy.  I plan to relieve my son’s mind and take Texas off of his hands.  He has been watching over it for a while now.” He smiles at her as they face each other in bed.  He reaches out to trace her face, his eyes taking in how delicate her features are.

Shaking her head, she asks, “I don’t understand how he can give you a state.” She is mystified about a lot of things, and yes, the information is there, but often it just makes their explanations make more sense.  She likes this better, that the things she _has_ to know, she does.  But things like this?  It is better for them to teach it to her, so that it is something she _knows, understands,_ unlike the knowledge nestled in her head.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/allan-hyde-69.jpg)

Godric sits up, and kisses her head as he pulls her up.  He arranges her between his legs, and wraps his arms around her. “As his Maker and his Head of the Bloodline, it was always understood that he was holding the state under me.  Since I can command him to do anything, there is no contest.  He only took the throne to make sure no one could interfere with what I wanted done.  You’ll find Andrew to be very loyal to me.  He is painfully aware of that short period of time when he had no Maker.  We have no idea how I took over the bond, but he is thankful for it each and every day.  No matter how much I encourage him to do as Eric did, to go out and make his own way, Andrew has always stayed close.” He smiles as he remembers the loyalty his child gives him.  Both of his male children are more loyal than any could ask for.

She smiles. “Seems like he didn’t want to give up on you.” She relaxes in his arms, playing with his hand, just looking at it.  It is hard to realize these hands that are so gentle with her can be used to tear people apart, that these hands have probably killed many.  But with her, they are nothing but loving.

His eyes drift down and take in the highlights in her dark hair that are now mixed with the blonde and with the rich red that her hair color would suggest.  He likes the blonde, it gives her hair a softer look without losing the mahogany that he fell in love with.   And it makes her resemblance to Eric more obvious.  He glances over her, and with his memory, he can see that there are slight changes.  He bets that as they wait to turn her, she will look more and more like Eric every day.

He answers his love. “No, neither of my sons gave up on me.  Eric was and still is pulled to stay in Louisiana.  We have no idea why, but I am not letting him give up on whatever it is.  Though we don’t get pulls to our Mates, the only other thing we do get a pull for is potential children.  And even that is not as strong as what Eric is feeling.” His thought turn to the strange pull Eric has to his Area.

Bella frowns. “If you feel pulled to potential children, then why didn’t you feel the pull to me?” It only makes sense to her.  If Mates are potential children, then why would he not feel the pull?

He smiles. “I love how your mind works, a thaisce.  I think it was because we normally don’t find our potential children until they are needing us.  I literally found Eric on the battlefield, and watched him get wounded but not give in to his wounds until days later.  I felt the pull to Andrew, too, but it faded.  I was curious and continued on, only to find him raising himself out of his grave lost.  I think that is why I could bond him to me, since he was meant to be my child.   But you, you were destined to become immortal one way or the other.  Since you were with people who could make you that way, it may have overridden the call.  I really don’t know, a ghra.  I am just happy to have found you, no matter which path of providence brought us together.” He nuzzles in her neck, letting her feel his gratitude in finding her.

Thinking on what he said, she is quiet, then mentions, “Do you think it was the drug that may have prevented the call?” Her mind is busy thinking over the reasons.  If Edward never meant to turn her, then that call should have gone out to Godric…many times.

He frowns, and thinks about how he feels with her.  Slowly he muses, “It could be.  We don’t know all the particulars on this drug-like substance that they seem to give off.  But it could have.” He is impressed with his little Mate and her thinking.

He feels Bella’s anger as she asks, “What if it was in the plan, why they were there.  Were they there to make me where you couldn’t feel me?” Her mind is coming up with that as the only possible answer.

He frowns.  “Why would they do that?  I don’t think I have met them to make them do something like this.”  Though, this would make for a frightening answer as to why his race rarely finds their Mates.  To block the call…

“Freya.”

He looks down at her, “Your patron goddess?”

She nods.  “Where is Eric?  I think we need to talk to him.” She needs to see Eric to try to figure all this out.  Because if her thoughts are right…

He nods, and, lifting her in his arms, makes his way upstairs.  He pauses automatically when his eyes see the sun, but is soon sitting in the same chair they had been in last night.  Eric is staring out the window, his eyes glued to the scene as he gazes outside.

“The sun rise this morning was amazing.  The same with the sun set.” He comments to them offhandedly.

Godric quickly glanced at the time. “We slept all day?” He sees that they barely missed the sunset, which is why he didn’t register the light as harmful.  But then he wouldn’t, would he?

Turning to look at him, Eric nods. “And you were sleeping.  The same feelings that I got from Bella, I got from you.  I suspect you both needed it.  It will take a while to get used to all the changes.” He smiles, looking forward to actually sleeping too.

Bella snorts.  “Well at least that explains why I’m so hungry!”

Both Eric and Godric look alarmed at her statement, but there is a knock on the door. Eric moves in front of them, and Godric has Bella behind him.  They hear Alcide and Paul enter via the back door and are quickly beside them.

Nodding to them all, Eric opens the door.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/aa.png)

 A couple is on the entryway, the man holding a bag that he hands over to Eric.  “This should help Little One’s hunger.”  With that the two are in the house and before Bella.   The man grins and tells her, “Finally.  I’ve been waiting centuries for you to meet yer Mate.  Now let’s get this show on the road.”

The other beings stare at the two strangers in their midst.  The man moves and is soon sitting on the couch with the blonde lady on his lap.  “I think you been waitin’ fer us.  Jasper left the note for you, I take it?”

Bella just stares and finally says, “Peter?”

The male smiles. “Yep!  Nice to meetcha Little One!”

* * *

**Final count:  4,035 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	21. Distance in Your Eyes

# Distance in Your Eyes

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Pre Edit Count -   2,535 Words

 _Song I listened to for this chapter: New Divide_ by Linkin Park

 

* * *

_Previous:_

_Nodding to them all, Eric opens the door._

_A couple is on the entryway, the man holding a bag that he hands over to Eric.  “This should help Little One’s hunger.”  With that the two are in the house and before Bella.   The man grins and tells her, “Finally.  I’ve been waiting centuries for you to meet yer Mate.  Now let’s get this show on the road.”_

_The other beings stare at the two strangers in their midst.  The man moves and is soon sitting on the couch with the blonde lady on his lap.  “I think you been waitin’ fer us.  Jasper left the note for you, I take it?”_

_Bella just stares and finally says, “Peter?”_

_The male smiles. “Yep!  Nice to meetcha Little One!”_

_Next:_

 

* * *

Bella slowly moves toward the two Cold Ones in her living room, however she didn’t get far before Eric and Godric are in front of her.  She is curious about these two vampires, and admittedly, she is wondering where Jasper is and what they are to him.  The way these two act, it is as if they somehow know her and yet she has never seen them before.

She looks up and smiles at the two men she loves most in the world.  Her hand lands gently on Eric’s arm as she leans towards him, “Nice hair, broder.” She cannot help her smirk as she notices  his shorter hair.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/aalex1.jpg)

Not able to hold in the grin, Eric shakes his head, and decides to test his syrra, “Mo dheirfiúr beag, d’fhéadfaí tú a bheith tromchúiseach don aon uair amháin?” ( _My little sister, could you be serious for once?)_

Her mirth is enough to let both Godric and Eric know she understood the language.  They both grin at the fact, enjoying that there will be ways for them to communicate more privately.  No matter what happens, as long as the two of them knew the language before Bella was Blessed, she would know it now.

However, before they could comment, Peter grins. “Isn’t she something?”  He looks obviously proud of Bella.  She is much more than he ever dreamed she would be, and he is damned proud of his little one!

Paul is shaking, and he finally growls out, “What the hell are you doing here?  Leeches!”  His inborn hatred of the beings is overriding his reasoning.  There is nothing he wants more than to rend these Cold Ones into pieces before they can hurt his charge.

Peter’s grin falls from his face and he lifts an eyebrow. “Jasper said we would be here.  He will be here himself when he thinks he has enough information fer Little One.  And ya better calm on down and control yourself over there.  You’ll be around Jasper fer a mighty long time.” He stares down the Native American; he will not back down from this man.  He will be in their lives for a long time to come.  He will fail in his duty, but the repercussions of him doing so are all good for their coven, so Peter will never hint otherwise…  Plus it is going to be fun in a couple of years, if they get through the end of this year, that is.

Godric’s eyebrow shoots up.  “Why would Paul be around Jasper?” He is not sure how he feels about this brash young Cold One.  He walks right into their home, and Godric is not happy about that.  At all.  The implications are dangerous to his a thaisce.

Charlotte sighs. As usual, Peter is making a fucking mess of everything.  He never understands how his brash attitude can sound abrasive.  She knows it is because he has a million things going on in his head with his Knower going off, and him having to concentrate to ensure certain things don’t slip out at the wrong time, but to others he sounds like he is a brash idiot.  However, he is her idiot.  She stands up. “Before we go any further, Bella, I’m Charlotte, Peter’s mate.” She grins at Bella, glad they finally get to meet her.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/achar.jpg)

Bella smiles at the woman.  “Nice to meet you.  Sorry, but I don’t think they will allow me any closer.” She shrugs, indicating the two males that are surrounding her basically.

A growl escapes Godric as he pulls her closer to him as Eric slides protectively in front of them. “Not likely, a thaisce.  Not when we have no idea if being around them will make your pain come back any worse.” He clearly remembers Ludwig’s instruction that they could not bring anything from her home because it may activate the drug and make her worse.  She risks losing way too much to allow her to get close to another Cold One that may make her change have to take place sooner.

Bella turns to him, opening her mouth, and he places a finger on her lips. “A ghra.  You are the most important thing in my life and in Eric’s.  Your pain is no laughing matter, and in fact is the one thing governing when you are to be changed.  Eric and I both want to give you as much time as you wish to have in your human form.  If being closer to these Cold Ones would make you worse, then no, you cannot shake their hand and in fact, if they are allies, we will call Ludwig to see if you can even remain in the same room with them.”

His eyes watch hers as both he and Eric push their love and worry towards her.  She sighs and nods as she comes closer into his arms.  He holds her, his chin resting on her head, as he sends love to her, and he can feel Eric checking for her pain level.  He chuckles as he realizes how well he and his son work together to make sure that she is pain free.

Peter leans forward, noting their reactions and their words.  Nothing makes him happier.  “She will be fine now.  As long as none of us try to pull her into the glamour, the agent in us that you are worried about will not activate.  And believe me, none of us want to hurt Little One.  I worked way too hard to get you with her, and poor Jasper was exhausted when he pulled the Cullens away.”

He shook his head as he remembers how hard his sire had to work and ending up having to ‘attack’ his little sister to make them leave her.  Even then it was a close call.  But Peter told him that he was changing Godric’s flight and until they can tell who all is innocent, and who all needs to be destroyed, Jasper wanted them to be gone.

Charlotte sighs, her hand covering her face. “Peter, shut up.  You are confusing them all.  Let me talk then you can go back to your Yoda shit.  And don’t think I won’t let Jasper know how you’re treating his little sister.” She really wishes she could gag him, but the one time she did, she had discovered what a horndog he is.  Some days, it’s all she can do to survive.

Eric can’t help the growl escape from him at the mention of a Cold One being the brother of his sister.  He just cannot accept that one of the beings that had caused the pain she’s in would be family to her.

Charlotte smiles though at the growl. “I take it you are Eric.  Calm down…Jasper is her brother only because that is the familial aspect he wishes to claim.  In reality, she is his great niece, and Peter’s great granddaughter.  Neither of them like the remote feeling of those claims, and just claim her as family. Jasper, who had gotten to know her, claims her to be his sister.” She grins as she watches the faces of the men before her since she could no longer see Bella, who is still behind Eric.  She is proud of Bella for all that she has suffered and survived, and the hints that they have of her future.

Godric listens to everything that they are saying, and he finally asks, “Great grandfather, great niece?” These Cold Ones are Bella’s actual blood relatives?

She looks at him, “Godric?” Charlotte smiles at the ancient vampire, fully approving of him for their Little One.  Both of the ancient ones in front of her are good for their Bella.

At Godric’s nod, she smiles. “Yes.  Peter is related through her mother, Jasper from her father.  But, the real reason they care so much is that Peter has known about her since he was turned.  He told Jasper and, later, me.  We have watched for her through the centuries.  Then when she came, everything was fine.  She was nowhere near a Cold One nor was there a reason that she would have been.” Her face fell as the she remembers that panicked call from Jasper when she showed up at their school, then later with Edward.  It had been a fucking nightmare as they scrambled to figure out what had gone wrong.

Remembering that time as well, Peter growls. “Until the stupid pixie saw her and changed her future.”  He looks at Godric and Bella. “What you came up with is exactly right.  The Cold Ones have been making sure for a very long time that y’all’s mates are not calling to you at the right time.  I didn’t know this; I just did what my Knower told me and played the game.  Then when it happened to Little One, I got a huge download of information. Knocked me right out.” He shakes his head at the strangeness of that day.  It had been needed, but he had not liked the loss of conscious he’d gotten for it.

Alcide finally growls out, “What the hell is going on?  Does any of this make sense?” His eyes turn yellow as he gets angry at all the references going over his head.  How could he be an effective Guardian if he doesn’t know what is going on?

Godric exchanges a look with Eric, then, feeling Andrew growing closer and irritated in his bonds, sighs. “Eric, go let Andrew in since he doesn’t seem to like the situation.  Alcide, call Ludwig, tell her I need her to come here for Bella.  Paul, do what you need to calm down.” He gives them all orders, getting everything under control since up to now it has been a fiasco.  With that he pulls his Mate to their seat and laughs at her look of disgust toward it.  He can’t wait until they can get the place more to her taste than the bright red chairs and very sterile room currently are.  He looks forward to this being an actual home, not just one of his places to sleep.

Charlotte is watching her, too.  She looks around the room confused, then frowns, “I’m sorry, but who decorated here?  Esme Cullen?”

 

  
[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/augly-room.jpg)

From what she has seen of her step-great granddaughter’s taste, this is nowhere near it.  She favored warm, comfortable rooms, much like Charlotte did herself.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/bella-gif.gif)

With that Bella bursts into laughter at her comment, and Godric relaxes just a little bit more.  His Mate is already warming to them, and while that does allow him to relax a bit, he is not letting his guard down.  No, he is still guarding his Mate, and is extremely aware of everything going on. What he is relaxed on is that he is not as stiff with his Mate, but in such a way that his reactions, should she be threatened, will not be slowed down in the least. But the arrival of Andrew has helped with that as well.

Eric opens the door just as Andrew reaches it and raises his eyebrow at the look his brother gives him.  “What?” His lips quirk, almost smirking at the younger vampire.

Shaking his head, Andrew looks at the new people in the room, but upon seeing his new Queen, his smile breaks out and he is on his knee before her in the next second. “My queen.  We have awaited your coming for way too long.”  He reaches into his jacket and pulls out a box. “Please accept this as my welcome to our family.”

Bella takes the gift from him, curious, and opens to find a tartan brooch with blue stones.  She looks up in confusion and lifts an eyebrow.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/brooch.jpg)

Andrew smiles from his spot.  He takes the brooch, and being careful, he gently attaches it to her shirt. “My clan is called Robertson now, but when I was alive, we were the MacDhonnachaidh.  As the oldest member of my clan, I am the leader.  I have extended the clan to include Eric and Godric, and they are on the rolls as members.  It would be my privilege to add you to the roster.”

Bella giggles as Peter humphs.  She gives him a look before  looking back to the man before her. “I would be honored.”  She can’t help the grin as she ruefully repeats, “From having no family, I seem to be gaining family at a large quantity at a very fast pace!”

Eric just shakes his head as Ludwig comes through the door right before he closes it.  “Come right on in.  Anyone else out there I should know about,” he asks, still grinning from his lillasyster’s comment.  He is happy she’s gaining that ever-increasing family, and can feel how pleased she is.

Ludwig just chuckles as she makes her way over to Bella.  She pushes Andrew out of her path, her face concerned as she asks, “What is bothering you, my lady?” She is very respectful, as this tiny woman on Godric’s lap has completely garnered her compassion and loyalty.  Bella is a great Mate to Godric.

With that comment, Peter groans. “There will be no living with her if this is how they’re treatin’ her!” He leans his head back to stare up at the ceiling, fighting his own grin at how wonderfully his little one is being treated.  This is so much better than the Cullens or the wastes of space that were her old biological parents.  His grin gets bigger as his Knower shows him how lost Charlie is and how he cannot get any help with the house now. Word has spread about the real reason he accepted Bella into his home, and the town of Forks is not taking it too kindly.  There is talk about one of the deputies actually running against him now.

Without a pause, Charlotte hits him on the back of his head.  “Shut up, Peter.” Her voice tells the story of how often she does it, and his acceptance of it is further proof of how often she must do it as he shrugs.

The whole thing looks so common that no one can help the grins on their faces. Andrew is standing next to Eric, and they can’t help the look that passes between them as they grin at Peter and Charlotte’s antics.

Ludwig looks at them and realizes that they are Cold Ones. She glances back to Bella and sighs.  “Godric, I told you I don’t have any idea of how their poison works on her.  I’m not sure why you asked me to be here.”  She is frustrated, but can understand his instincts to want answers.  Unfortunately, she simply doesn’t have any.  She is working on it, but she just can’t find the identifying agent.

Looking down at his Mate, Godric asks her, “Are you in any more pain?” When she shakes her head no, he then glances up at Ludwig. “You didn’t want any of her stuff here, not sure if it would cause a relapse.  How is this any different?” He asks her, wanting to know what she is thinking.  He wants nothing around that will hurt his a thaisce.  It is up to him to keep her safe, while at the same time letting, even encouraging, her soul to fly free.

She looks back at the Cold Ones, “Were you two anywhere around her when the poison was administered?”

Peter shakes his head. “As blood family to Bella, our venom would do nothin’ to her.  The poison as you call it doesn’t work on family, sweetheart.  If family was to be turned, it has to be done by someone not related.  It is how turnings sometimes go bad for us.  She is fine, but the venom in her has been mutated from her shield.  Fuckward used gallons of it on her, trying to break that shield of hers.  Instead, the shield mutated the venom.  Her brain is working at our level, but her human body can’t supply what it needs to function at the higher level.  The blood of her Mate and her brother are the only two that can provide what she needs, therefore, it is ‘healing’ the pain.  In reality the pain is from her brain needing their blood to keep up her higher brain functions.  Sadly, this is only going to increase.  She is probably way above genius now, and it will only keep going.  And when Godric turns her, she will only be able to drink his or Eric’s blood.  It is a great thing that Eric’s umm…Patron came down and blessed them.  To have this kind of weakness is not good, but the benefits are many.”

He is not sure, because his Knower is giving him fits about it, but he thinks that for their kind, the Mates can only drink from each other.  Godric will drink from humans or blood bags, then Bella will drink from him as he drinks from her.  But that can’t be right….

His eyes turning a dark, stormy blue, Eric growls out, “Benefits?”

Andrew is right beside him, angry too.  Can’t they get a break?  From what he has heard from his deartháir ( _brother_ ), poor Bella has had anything but an easy life.  How could they tell them that this is a benefit, knowing that unless Eric or Godric was able to feed her their blood, she will die?  There is nothing positive in that!

Peter nods.  His face is sad, knowing what they’re thinking and how they’re feeling.  Even if his Knower was right about Godric, it still is hard to take.  Their Little One has been through so much already! “First and foremost, y’all, is that Little One survived.  She shouldn’t have.  Nor should she have survived a direct venom attack as there really is no way to suck out all the venom as y’all have already found out.  Her shield manifested and managed to keep that shit contained.  Which wouldn’t have happened if Fuckward hadn’t been trying to glamour her all this time.  He was using something meant for hunting as a steady attack on her.  That is how he wore down her resistance, to get her to be interested in him.  If it had not been for Jasper attacking her, and Fuckward’s mistaken thought that she might actually be his mate, that had ‘em leaving.  And even that was only after Malice told ‘em that the separation would make you, Little One, malleable to his control over you.”

Peter shakes his head in anger.  “You were fighting them too much for their liking, and if it hadn’t been for the fact that they’d been ordered to keep you alive, they were gonna “accidently” kill you long ago.  They had even thought of a backup plan to have you rescue him from the Volturi.”  Peter’s eyes darken to black as he thought through the plans they had made.  He has not told Jasper all of that, wanting his sire here before he finds out.  He would have killed them, quite simply, and from what his Knower said, that would have been bad for Jasper.  The backlash from him doing so would kill Jasper and anyone close to him.  This way, they have a chance.

He then looks at Eric. “Plus, there is the daywalking.  She gained that from the mutation.  In fact, she will have a shield to rival a god’s.  She passed to you her stronger abilities, them being encoded into her actual DNA, and from that you are now stronger than most of your kind – yer fangs are even able to penetrate our skin.  Godric will have all the same and more, since he is her Mate.  But as her brother, and to make it possible for her to have another source for nourishment rather than havin’ to remain solely at Godric’s side for the rest of her life, y’all should be on yer knees thanking your Goddess.  She has made it possible that you will not walk this world by yourself.” He shakes his head at the tall blond Viking.  His Knower is saying that he can’t be too rude to the man, but it won’t tell him _why_.  And that is frustrating the hell out of him.

He growls and jumps up from his seat, and begins pacing so fast that he is a blur.  He finally stops.  They can see him vibrating in place.  “The fucked up shit is that Bella surviving was pure luck.  None of the three of us knew what was going on, and if we hadn’t cared so much about her, I’m not sure my Knower would have told me the information.  Jasper is trying to see how widespread it is before he comes here.” That was part of what pissed him off.  His Knower just didn’t tell him everything they need to know!

His eyes squinting as he tries to understand, Andrew asks, “And why would we want Jasper here?  I’m sorry, I know I am late, but I cannot see how having a Cold One nearby would be a good thing.” Nor does he like the feelings he is getting off of Eric.  Eric really didn’t want this Jasper close.  He trusts Eric since he has no idea who this Jasper is.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/aandrew.jpg)

Peter turns in place.  “You don’t, do you?  How about the fact that Jasper is to become Godric’s Guardian – the last one he will ever need.  And since we care about Little One, Charlotte and I are to become Eric’s Guardians.  Actually Charlotte will float between places, but just as Paul is meant to be Bella’s Guardian, Jasper is to be Godric’s, and Bella’s, too, when Paul has to rest.  Cause you see, _Your Majesty_ , we don’t sleep, we don’t rest.  Now who else would you want for Guardians to the three most important people in this world at this time?” He is growling at the end.  Not take them up in their offers to be the permanent Guardians that they need?

Andrew tenses up, but Bella’s hand on his arm has him looking down at her from where they are standing behind their chair.  She smiles at him as she turns back to Peter.  “Peter, calm down.  Is there anything that has to be done right now?” She looks at him, waiting for him to answer.  She is anticipating some security issues, really, anything.  While not knowing the man personally, she can see that something is eating at him, and knowing the Cold Ones, she suspects it is a gift that is driving all this knowledge.  She just hopes it is enough.

He smirks and, blurring, he drops a bag on her lap. “Yes, you eating.” He stands there and folds his arms, waiting for her to do as he said.  While she needs Godric’s and Eric’s blood, she also needs to eat real food.

Godric can’t help the laugh that escapes him.  He pulls his Mate closer, and, taking the bag from her lap, soon has the sandwich ready for her.  “He is right, a ghra.  You do need to eat.” He watches her as she takes a bite after making a face at them both.

When she takes another bite, Eric grins. “Lillasyster, you need to eat so that you can keep up with Godric.  Soon you will need more energy.” He needs to feel her lighten up.  Yes, it was not all good news, but like Peter said, she survived then, and continues to survive now.  She needs to smile and be her normal self.

The blush on her face makes the room burst in laughter, and they all relax just that little bit more.  Ludwig signals to Godric and motions with her head to indicate she is leaving and he nods.  She disappears, and he studies the two Cold Ones that had just volunteered to protect his son.

Alcide shakes his head.  “Why am I no longer Godric’s Guardian?” This is the piece of information he wants to know.  While he has a point, Alcide is not pleased to be replaced so easily.  Why right does this man have in doing this to him?  For most of his life, he has only wanted to be Godric’s Guardian.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/aal1.jpg)

Peter grins at him, happy to be telling this man this.  “Cause you need to head to Pittsburgh.  The treaty is finalized, and there was an entry that is causing your Mate to head there.” This is one of his more pleasant opportunities to change history, one that he jumped at to make happen.  The heartbreak that the two Mates would have gone through had actually made him wish for the ability to cry, so when his Knower gave him the chance to change it, he did it without a second thought.

Paul has been working to control himself, and has slowly gained control over his wolf.  It helped that his Alpha and Beta had wished it of him.  He looks up, interested in the information this strange Cold One seemed to have. “The treaty for us with Godric’s line?” He had been wondering if it was completed.  Sam had really wanted that treaty.

Peter nods, watching Alcide with a grin.  “And with all Treaties with the Bloodline, there is an individual that one member of the tribe has to meet.  While you guys left the other night, there was a new member added to the tribe, one that begged to be able to go.  Sam agreed, after he was assured that the new member would be better off there.”  And after he had told that particular individual – which he is not sure of how he knew about the Whitlocks but he has reached out to them a couple of times – that it would be a good idea to have her there, he had asked for her specifically.

Godric nods, not answering the questions pushed to him from the bonds.  “That is a standard addition to the Treaties.  I am shocked that it was called in.” In fact, it was so rare, that he was more than shocked.  But that addition to the Treaty was per him, and they all listened to this man.

Peter is still grinning.  “There was a reason.”

Going through the Tribe in his head, Paul finally asks, “Who?” He cannot think of anyone other than Jacob that could have changed, much less a female.

“Leah Clearwater.”

With that, Paul laughs.  He pounds Alcide on the back, “Good luck, my man!  She is a firecracker!” He cannot hold in his glee. But at the same time, she deserves this.  She has had much heartbreak in her life, and to have a Mate like Alcide?  It would be the best thing for best for both of them.

Shaking his head Godric just asks, “How?” How does this man know so much about them?  How does he have the information?  He mentioned his Knower, is this like that one Cullen’s ability to see the future?

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/apeter.jpg)

Turning to gaze at the young-looking man in front of him, Peter answers him honestly. “Because I love my great granddaughter more than you will ever realize.  Because Jasper loves her.  With her meanin’ so much to my coven, I was given knowledge.  I interfered, I admit it, and I would do it all over again.  I saved Alcide much pain by interfering decades ago.  This has also changed Eric’s fate.  I am also the one who made you land where you did so that you would meet your Mate.  So much I have changed, and while there is much pain that I wish I could have made not happen, there is much I have spared everyone.  All because I learned of Little One and have worked towards being in her life as much as I could be.” He is being honest with this man who will be the new leader of his coven;  the man who will bring him into a whole new life, one that will give him reason to keep testing his will and heart against the future.

Godric says softly, “Love, the most powerful force of all.” He knows it is enough to have changed Eric and himself both.  It is also what has given him a whole new outlook on life, and to have him willing to take over duties he has put aside not wanting to be involved in the world any more than necessary.

Peter and Charlotte nod in agreement.  It had given them and Jasper the will to wait for Bella, to do what needed to be done so that they could be here, now.

Eric sighs. “Now what?” He gives into the inevitability that Bella will accept this Jasper in their lives, and that he will have Guardians.  At least he doesn’t have to worry about knowing them, they will be around as long as he is.

Peter grins at the man. “Now I get to know Little One’s new family, and we wait for Jasper to get here.  Alcide would probably would like to get on to Pittsburgh, and from what I gather, we need to get one monarchy established, another one set up to fall, and to get Little One’s house not looking like it was designed by an idiot.  Oh yeah, and my Knower says something about bars.  Yes, plural.  Seems Eric here is going to be updating his bar for the Reveal.”

He stands there grinning, ignoring Charlotte’s sigh as well as Andrew’s snort.  He is just happy to finally be here.

 

* * *

**Final count: 5,089 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	22. Cleaning House

 

 

# Cleaning House

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/1239586_398294373631560_54284531_n.jpg)

Pre Edit Count – 3,664 Words

_Song I listened to for this chapter: California 37_ by Train

 

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_Previous:_

_Godric says softly, “Love, the most powerful force of all.” He knows it is enough to have changed Eric and himself both.  It is also what has given him a whole new outlook on life, and to have him willing to take over duties he has put aside not wanting to be involved in the world any more than necessary._

_Peter and Charlotte nod in agreement.  It had given them and Jasper the will to wait for Bella, to do what needed to be done so that they could be here, now._

_Eric sighs. “Now what?” He gives into the inevitability that Bella will accept this Jasper in their lives, and that he will have Guardians.  At least he doesn’t have to worry about knowing them, they will be around as long as he is._

_Peter grins at the man. “Now I get to know Little One’s new family, and we wait for Jasper to get here.  Alcide would probably would like to get on to Pittsburgh, and from what I gather, we need to get one monarchy established, another one set up to fall, and to get Little One’s house not looking like it was designed by an idiot.  Oh yeah, and my Knower says something about bars.  Yes, plural.  Seems Eric here is going to be updating his bar for the Reveal.”_

_He stands there grinning, ignoring Charlotte’s sigh as well as Andrew’s snort.  He is just happy to finally be here._

_Now:_

 

* * *

The unlikely group spends the rest of the night talking and, as Peter said, they eventually get around to discussing those bars along with plans for toppling a monarchy.  Their conversations are varied and each was looking to their strong points.  Right now, the discussion is focusing on their clubs, and Bella is arguing with Godric over the particulars.

Peter is sprawled out in a chair in the conference room down below looking at the documents in front of him. He glances through the paperwork, but his attention is on his Bella.  The papers in his hand are just props to make them believe he is working so they won’t involve him with what they are doing. He needs the time to think. He needs to mull over what to do now that he and his coven are finally where they have fought, maneuvered, and striven to be for centuries.  Jasper had faked being human to be in the civil war.  But that shit with Maria?  Yeah, that really happened; it was just much earlier than anyone thinks.  Jasper, being older, has suffered for 500 years for his sister, all to follow his Knower to be here now.

He leans back in his seat as he works on the documents from Godric to install them as Eric’s Guardians.  They will be watching the two men who now mean the most in his descendant’s life. He is slightly jealous, but he is controlling that shit right now.  Bella may be Eric’s sister and Godric’s Mate, but he has prior claims on her just as Jasper does.  And this small little woman holds many of the most powerful supes in the world in her hand.  Only one other will compete with her influence, and neither of those ladies care about the power they have, although that will not stop the men who love them from sacrificing everything to allow them that choice.  His eyes look over the motley bunch in front of him.  Nope.

He listens as Bella and Godric discuss the new bar.  Andrew and Eric are with them, arguing over security measures as they work it all out.  The site they had chosen to be the key place for this club is one that Godric had purchased a long time ago, and right now there are only a couple of unused buildings at that location.  While they are working on demolishing it, Alcide’s company will actually be digging the basement that would hold the supes who need to be detained.  Peter had volunteered his and Jasper’s help in forging the bars and such with their venom.  Both had known that this would be needed at some time, and had been gathering their venom for a while now.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/leighton-meester-29.jpg)

Bella is the one who had asked if the addition of the venom would make the silver and mercury hard enough to mix with iron so they could make cells that would be strong enough to hold most of the known supes.  Instead of having traditional cells, they would use that material to surround the prisoners to not only hold them, but to weaken them at the same time, the idea being that with supes, the weaker they are, the better it will be when dealing with them.

Eric and Godric had looked shocked at her suggestion, but when Peter had thought about it, and allowed that his Knower seems to favor it, they quickly agreed, with Eric wanting to redo his bar to take advantage of the change. Right now his holding area is dark and dank.  It is a nightmare waiting to be sprung on anyone he finds going against the rules.

Encouraged by their praise for suggesting such a unique and valuable way to hold all supes, Bella also mentions that they should include UV lights, and some other ideas.  Eric kneels in front of her and holding her face in both hands, he tells her solemnly, “You were meant to be with us.  Will you please accept the change to your name to reflect it?” He wants to do this for her.  He wants to erase that portion of her life, especially when she becomes a vampire.  There is no need for the reminder of her past with her name.  It needs to be gone.

Godric chokes.  He looks at the two of them.  “Eric, what good would that do?  Before we come out, I plan to marry my Bella.”  He cannot see why changing her name would be a big deal.  But then he thinks about the reminder, and he slowly nods as he realizes that this is what his Son has thought about.

Bella lifts an eyebrow at Godric. “And when _are_ you going to ask? Because there isn’t that much time between then and now.  And I think with your subjects, they may want more than a small wedding.”  Turning her head and her thoughts away from the horror of a big wedding and all that hassle, she smiles at Eric.  “I’d rather be known as Bella Northman, if you don’t mind.  If Godric ever decides to ask me, and _if_ I decide to accept, I will just make it all work.”  She taps her finger against her lips as she muses, “Bella Northman Nervii.  So yes, but make it go back as far as you can.  I don’t want the name Swan.”

Her grief at the mention of her current last name has Godric purring to calm his Mate, and has Eric leaning his forehead against his sister’s as he holds her head to his.  He gives her a kiss on her forehead and nods.  “It shall be done as you wish.  I told you, you are mine, my family.  I will make sure your past, which was a mistake to begin with, is gone.”  He then grins. “But of course this will make it so that Godric will need to ask me for permission to marry you.  That is the custom now-a-days?” His eyes twinkle with mischief, and her answering grin and gleaming eyes show her agreement.

Godric growls at his Son as he gathers his Mate close to him.  Eric smirks at him as he nonchalantly stands up, “We will discuss the bride price.  Do not think you will get her cheaply.  I intend to have you pay handsomely for the chance to be able to ask for her.” He will barter for the best price he can, which will tell his little one how much she is worth.  During all this he knows that her understanding from olden times of what this means will come, and hopefully, she won’t be as a woman of _this_ time and potentially think less of herself.

Peter just grins.  He had known that this would happen.  In fact, it had been one of the main things that had messed them up when they had been watching for her – he had Known her name was to be Isabella Northman.  Not knowing the way of things, he had looked for her and found her a Swan.  The only Northman he found was Eric in Louisiana.  So while they watched Northman for a long time to decide his worth to their Bella, they had not recognized the move to Forks for the life alternating change that it was.  Jasper had been especially interested since they found out he may have been more connected to their Bella than had been thought.  And this was all before the Oath Ceremony.  Bella seems to have been born to be part of Eric’s family from the very beginning.

Then he grins as he hears a voice he had not expected any time soon.  A tall, dark headed Cold One appears in the room.  Watching the two vampires around his sister, he grins, his eyes a bright ruby red. “I think that’s an excellent idea, Northman.”

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/riley-aka-jackson-rathbone-11.jpg)

With the sound of the voice Bella looks up and, seeing the only Cold One that she knows to the bottom of her heart loved her, she springs from Godric’s lap and is in Jasper’s arms squealing. She knows it is him, even with the shorter hair, and it being more like her own than when she had known him.  Nothing he could have done to his physical being would have made her not recognize him.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/dem-fangs.png)

Eric had a snarl on his face as he instantly appears behind the man, his hands and fangs on his neck. He growls as he informs the Cold One who has his lillasyster in his arms, “Harm her and I will have your head before you complete the thought.” The fear that ran through him when she had jumped into the arms of the Cold One who had appeared without any warning would have stopped his heart.  He hated that these beings could appear in a home uninvited.  What made them so dangerous is that they move fast enough to kill them before his kind could even know they are there!

Andrew is on the other side, ready to assist his brother and to free his Queen from the hands of this stranger who just appeared in their midst.  His mind is already busy thinking of witches they can call in to make Godric’s home impenetrable to these beings who simply appear at will.  The safety concerns alone become nightmarish.  Neither could ever be alone; to be truthful, they would have to have guards beside them every instant.  Not feasible.  So he tried to think of other alternatives since the silver and other metals in the walls of Godric’s home are not enough to deter them.

Bella, being held safely in Jasper’s arms, tells Eric, “Eric, chill.  Look at Godric.  He is calm.  This is Jasper.” She cannot believe the feelings she has been getting through their bond, but she talks in a steady calm voice.  Eric had been really afraid, and it was because of her!  She knows how much Godric loves her, and she knows Eric loves her, but to have him that scared because of her?  This is something that amazes her.

Eric can’t help the steady growl. “The Jasper that I looked up had chin length blond hair.” He needs to think of a way to get her away from the Cold One!!! He looks at Andrew for a second and got the nod, telling him that Andrew will whisk Bella away if he acts.

Charlotte’s laugh rings out merrily.  “Oh my God!  I didn’t think that would actually work!” She really is amazed that a trick worked that she and Jasper had thought of when Peter told them that they had to make Jasper seem much younger than he really is.  So to help with that, they decided to change his hair.  Peter had indicated it would work, but she and Jasper had not been convinced.  Later it became an inside joke that Jasper was the first one to do the Superman/Clark Kent disguise.

Looking at the blond, Paul asks, “What?” He is blinded by the speed at which these Cold Ones move.  He knows he can keep up with them as a wolf, but unless he wanted to spend all his time as the wolf, he cannot protect Bella.  He is beginning to see why Jasper will be his partner instead of Alcide.  There is no way Alcide could keep up with them.  His species is not made to destroy them, so he doesn’t have the same benefits that Paul has.

Still chuckling, Peter informs them, “The truth is that we can grow our hair and such.  It took a lot of work, but Char convinced the Major here to become blond and grow his hair out.  It made it easier for him durin’ the Civil War, but a bitch for the years after that.  But when she came to me with the idea, I had a thing telling me that it would make it easier for Little One and him not to look similar if he did.   And I was right, wasn’t I?” He had listened when Char and Jasper had brought it up, but Char had brought it up to him first.  Neither wanted the Major to do something that wouldn’t have worked.  But to know it worked this well!

With that comment, they all look at Bella and Jasper where he still held her, and they could see the similarities between the two.  Eric, still not happy, steps back but stays close to protect his sister.  He glances at Andrew who is doing the same thing on her other side.  He looks between Bella and Jasper and sees that the only changes in her are the ones wrought by their Vow, but he cannot deny the similarities between the two.

Watching his Son, Godric has been waiting for this to come to pass.  He knows his Son better than he thinks he does.  Bella is _his_ sister, a chance to have someone for himself.  He would be jealous of the man that Bella has run to, but soon enough Eric will remember that he had looked forward to knowing this man until it registered on him that the man would compete for his affections as a brother.

However, Bella, being who she is, looks at Eric and tells him, “Min bror, det finns inget att oroa sig för. Enligt Peter du är den enda som kan bidra till att stödja mig när jag vände, och i själva verket är en av två som kan hjälpa till med min smärta nu. Jasper är en släkting, och kanske en broder till er för framtiden. En vapenbroder om ingenting mer. Jag älskar dig, Eric. Alltid kommer och ingen kan ta det ifrån. Nu, vara Eric jag vet eller jag kommer att ha Godric kasta dig in i en sjö.” ( _My brother, there is nothing for you to worry about.  According to Peter you are the only one that can help support me when I am turned, and in fact are one of two that can help with my pain now.  Jasper is a relative, and maybe a brother to you for the future.  A brother in arms if nothing more.  I love you, Eric.  Always will and no one can take that away.  Now, be the Eric I know or I will have Godric toss you into a lake.)_ Her eyes start sparkling near the end, and Jasper can’t help but grin off the feelings he is feeling from her.

Eric’s blue eyes search the matching ones in his sister, and he sighs as he examines the bond between them. He finally holds out his hand to Jasper.  “Nice to meet you, and thanks for keeping her out of as much trouble she probably could have found without you there.” He will not be jealous.  As she put it, he is hers, and the man in front of him had protected her.  If he hadn’t saved her from that nomad, then Bella would have been gone before they ever got a chance to meet her.

Jasper grins at the man in front of him then shifts Bella to his other side as if she weighed no more than a small child.  He grasps the hand and, grinning ruefully, replies, “And thanks for becoming what I could not be.  She needed someone like you, and no matter how much I love her and think of her as a sister, you are her true brother.” Then his grin deepened to the point his dimples come out as he informs the man in front of him who he greatly admires, “When you get the chance, I have some ideas for that bride price.”

Bella frowns and pushes at him.  Jasper just laughs at her, then kisses her on her forehead and lets her go.  She moves to Godric, not noticing how much she relaxes when they touch. She snuggles back into him, sending him her appreciation that he too had not overreacted as Eric had.  Godric sends back love, and some caution.  She should be worried about the safety issues that these Cold Ones are highlighting by just popping up as they pleased into their home.  Eric had not overreacted by too much.

Jasper, Andrew, and Eric stand side by side, and grin at her.  Andrew comments, “It would be a poor showing if we didn’t make sure Godric pays through his nose for her.  What would others think to have her go from the safety of those that consider her a sister to him at too cheaply a cost?”  The three grin even bigger at her.

Blowing air out of her nose she ignores the three of them. Luckily for them she had already gained her knowledge about what they are really saying, or she would have gone off on them for putting a price on her.  Her memories show how proud she should be for getting a high bride price.  It’s not as though what he paid would be theirs, anyway; it would be hers.  They are trying to set her up as a very rich woman in her own right, and it is truly love that makes them want that for her.

Godric just laughs.  This is what his Bella needs.  Family.  And while Jasper may have not been what she needed in the past, he will be here for her now.  She and Eric understand each other in a way no others possibly could, and he has a feeling that it will be like this for the rest of their life.  Not even he gets their humor often, but he is happy that they both have someone now.

He then shakes his head as he thinks of Pam.  She has some rough life changes in store for her.  She is even jealous of him spending time with Eric without her around.  And now this?

Peter leans back in his seat as he raises an eyebrow. “I didn’t expect you here so soon, Major.” In fact he had not expected Jasper for a couple more days.

Jasper and Eric look at each other and nod, promising a talk if not more later.  Jasper sprawls on a seat near Bella, leaving the one next to her open for Eric.  “Alice got on my nerves worse than normal.  The whole family went up in flames when Godric appeared, and then they both disappeared.  I took some time to find the red headed bitch that Edward had left alive, killed her, then stopped by the Forks house before coming here.  I wanted some clothing to wear that was actually normal.  I had kept a hidden chest in my library.  I also helped the people you left at the house to unbooby trap the shit they found in there.  I’m not sure it was worth all the work it would have taken to retrieve what they did find, but then, I believe the Cullens did it just in case you guys ever showed up.” He growls at the end of that.

There were numerous silver colloidal sprays hidden all over the place. They would have seriously hurt the vampires if any of them had been activated.  The hidden doors that would have slammed shut and sealed other rooms in silver would have also hurt them.  He could not believe the nastiness that he encountered in that house…and he has no idea when they even installed all those traps.

Trying to get the memories out of his head, Jasper washes his face with his hands as he recalls just how malicious the family he’d lived with for the last century had been.  “That was some nasty shit they did.  I should not have left so early, but I needed to call Peter, and then I ended up fighting Edward when I tried to get back to check on Bella. It took a lot for me not to kill him, but I needed them to believe that the rumors of the Major were just that, rumors.” Shaking his head, he sighs as he leans back and looks to the ceiling for a second as he collects his thoughts.

Andrew watches the new member of what he thinks of as his family.  This young looking Cold One is not at all what he expected after meeting Charlotte and Peter.  He is very self-possessed and confident.  He gives the impression that he would tear into any other being with a savagery that would be shocking, but he can tell that the young man cares very much for Bella.  He reminds him of Eric in some strange way.

Realizing he has not introduced himself properly to even Bella, Jasper looks over at Godric.  He has a wry grin on his face, knowing he is about to shock the shit out of most of the room with what he is about to say.  “I am sorry, sir.  I forgot to introduce myself to you.” He stands and bows to him as he introduces himself, “Major Jasper Northman Whitlock.”

With that he rises, and, grinning at Eric, continues, “And yes, from what Peter has found, we, Bella and I, are both related to you from very, very far back in time. But when we searched out my human past to erase everything we could get our hands on at the time, we were shocked at the name. We had to find everything we could so that there would be no proof anywhere of me being older than what we were claiming. We wiped the connection out of existence and replaced it with the others we wanted in place, for anyone who looked. I just said I remember being part of the Civil War, which I was, and my rank is recorded,” he smirked.

“But I earned that rank much earlier in life, and when a descendant who had been named after me died mysteriously, well, it was too perfect for us to let go. We did what we could to replace all images of him with my own. The younger images of him could have been my own. Now that we are done with that persona, I can place him back where he belongs in history, well, the minute amount that we changed when we made him me. My middle name, well, that has been lost to history. You know how those things work.” He grins, his dimples showing.

Eric is sitting there shocked.  Bella as his sister, yes he can easily admit to that, but being related to Jasper….  “Knulla! That fucking asshole is a descendant of _mine_?” His eyes darken as he realizes it is one of his descendants that had treated his syrra so badly. He actually shakes for a second, needing to tear into something.  Andrew lays a hand on him, but only to calm him temporarily.  Eric turns to him, and they nod slightly to each other, acknowledging that when they get time, Charlie Swan will be a miserable man.  If they could do it without Bella being hurt, they would rid the world of him.

Jasper’s eyes grow black as his lips lift in a snarl. He had restrained himself with a control he had not been conscious of having when he had been around Charlie. “I’m not happy about that one either.  But think about it, he is a lost shoot off the family.  She is my niece…my sister that I lost back then when I was turned by a sadistic bitch of a maker who wanted my talents and my body in her bed.”  He looks Eric in the eye as he tells him, “He is not someone that our family would be proud of claiming as family, not the family I have watched over since then.  I have no idea why he was so wrong in how he treated Bella.  But unfortunately, he is also the last of us besides Bella here of our line.  Not sure if those in Sweden are related or not, we could never find out.” He says the last softly.  He wants nothing more than to find out that when Bella is changed, his family line would be dead.  Even knowing that they are a branch would make him feel so much better.  But either way, this is nothing to do with the fact that Bella is the end of the family he had loved so much.

Godric clears his throat as he purrs to comfort his Mate.  She is upset to discover that she really is the last of the line.  He had felt her happiness when she realized that she and Jasper were family, along with Peter.  But to find out now that she really is the end of that branch…it is not something he likes feeling from her.

He looks up to Jasper and informs him, “You wouldn’t.  During Eric’s human past, someone came in one night and murdered all the rest of his immediate family.  To protect the aunts, uncles and cousins of that line that survived the periodic killings in the area, we hid the connection to Eric.  They had been pushed out of the line for the throne, so it didn’t matter anymore to keep the line detailed for the rest of history.  Though I would be interested in knowing how you found out what you did.  The murderer is still out there and we are still working to make sure he can’t wipe out the last of the line.” The last is said meeting Eric’s eyes and the acknowledgment of what they had sworn to do.  And so far, they have done the part of keeping the family safe.  Vengeance is the only answer to someone so twisted that they had seemed to try to hunt Eric’s very family as you would a rabbit.

Jasper’s eyes go darker, as did the rest of his coven. “What?” He had sat down, but he leans forward, intent on this new information.  A glance at Peter showed he had no idea.  They had done what they could to keep anything about the Northman family secret from all once they realized that it was possibly a connection to Bella.

 

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 Eric’s voice is deep and dark as he subconsciously grabs Bella’s hand as the painof remembering that night flows through their bond.  He needs the reminder that he is no longer alone, that there is now a Northman who is part of his immediate family.  Back then, they really didn’t consider the family to no longer part of their village; they were all close even if they weren’t of the same name.  His reality changed when someone started to hunt down those that could claim to have the same blood.  The frustration of not being able to defend those closest to his line, of finding them dead, was not a memory he likes to relive.

 

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“One night, while I was off fucking a servant, a man entered our home and killed my baby sister, my mother, and my father, along with anyone else who had been in his way.  They stole the crown from my father’s head.  I came in just in time to see a wolf attacking my father, and come close to ending his life. I ran to my mother and saw that my newborn sister, that I had held only minutes before, was dead on the floor.  I checked my mother, and she too was dead.  My father was up again, and I grabbed a sword to help him.  He yelled at me and I killed the wolf that was attacking me from behind, then was shocked as that wolf turned into a man right in front of me and slid off my sword.  I, still in shock, only saw the scar on his neck, and then my father was attacked again.  I went to help, and then a robed figure standing in the doorway told me not to be a hero.  I watched as the wolf who attacked my father brought that stranger – the same stranger who stood in the doorway to our home and just watched while they murdered my family – my father’s crown, and he laughed at me.  Then all of a sudden, he was gone and my father lived long enough to swear me to vengeance.  Vengeance that has not come yet, no matter how hard Godric and I have searched for the man.” His eyes are blazing by the end of the recital.

 

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Growls rise from the Cold Ones, the Vampires and the Wolves in the room. The anger they feel with the older vampire is enough to have Alcide’s eyes turn yellow, and Paul’s eyes also to mirror his wolf.  Andrew, who has heard the story before, again swears to help his brother gain the vengeance he had sworn to his father.

When Eric’s dark eyes rise from tabletop, Jasper grabs his hand and swears to him, “We will not rest until our family has been avenged.” His face reflects the beast inside, and both Peter and Charlotte agree.  Jasper is their Sire, and his family theirs.  Both of their families had died out long ago.

The rest of the group agrees.  Bella, still on Godric’s lap, moves closer to Eric.  She puts her small hand under Eric’s chin and brings his face to look at hers.  She leans forward and kisses his nose.  “It’s not your fault, Eric.”  She stares at him, and when he glances to the side, she sighs and says, “But we will talk about this later.  For now, Peter and Jasper will make sure your connections are completely hidden.  The night is fading, and so will Andrew.  We need to work on what needs to happen before daytime.  Plus, now that Jasper is here, Alcide needs to get to Pittsburgh to meet his Mate.” She smiles at the man at the end of the table as she says the last part.  She knows how much he wants to meet her, and knowing that Jasper can protect Godric better, well, that might rub against him some, but he will be honest.

Staring at her, shocked at both her words and how much he can feel from her, Eric can do little more than nod. His eyes redden, but he manages to do nothing as he leans his forehead to hers and they sit there communicating through their Bond.  She is reassuring him, and he is telling her how much he loves her and will protect her as his sister.  All is silent, but none of it is missed by Godric as he watches his Mate and Son.

Jasper and Peter meet each other’s eyes, and Peter leans forward and starts to work on the table since his prints are on record.  He will erase what little is left, and he will put Jasper Monroe Whitlock back into the history books as himself.  His Knower is going off in his head, telling him that this story, this tale that has been over a thousand years in the making, will be ending soon, and that they will be all needed.

Jasper turns his attention to Paul and he cocks his head. “You’re Bella’s Guardian?” Jasper had been mystified at the term when Peter had first mentioned it, and he had watched over the years as Godric implemented the practice.  But slowly, he had understood.  The Guardian knew everything.  While he accepted that Paul is to be her Guardian, and that he needs to be her Guardian to enable some very important events to happen, he is not happy.

Godric, taking his own look at the Cold One in front of him, nods.  He honestly would rather Jasper be in charge of it, and will ask Peter about it later.  He has some idea that Paul is going to do something he will not like.  But he will wait and see what is going on before he rocks the boat.  If he has to, he will enforce his will to make Jasper be Bella’s Guardian.

Jasper smirks. “I know that Eric will be probably teaching us some stuff, but I look forward to teaching him and Paul, too.”  He gives Peter a quick glance, but he is not looking up as he intently works.  Jasper isn’t fooled, and as he has for the last two centuries, he plans to try to find out what Peter is hiding.

Then he turns his attention to the group that gathers around his sister as they try to get back to work on what they had been doing earlier.  He leans back  to listen and learn about what they are doing, and is pleasantly surprised to find them all talking about a club.  The longer he listens, the more interested he becomes until he finally asks, “Correct me if I’m wrong, ‘specially since I just got here, but darlin’, are you trying to make a club that will also serve as your headquarters?” He lifts an eyebrow to make sure he has it right.

Eric looks up from where he is leaning over the table and answers him. “Two clubs, actually.  I’m making the one I have in Shreveport into a vampire bar, and we’re making the one here to serve Bella and Godric as their headquarters for their duties as the monarchs of this state, and for when Louisiana is added.” He grins when he says it.  He loves that he won’t be under the rule of the incompetent Queen any longer than necessary.

Jasper nods as he thinks through his next question.  “And you are demolishing both to hide the fact that you’re putting dungeons in the basements?” He wanted to make sure they are really thinking through destroying the buildings.  He doesn’t see why, but knows there has to be a reason.

From her place, Bella nods. She flicks some of the pictures they are looking at to Jasper’s spot at the table.  He leans forward, interested in the technology and what information they are considering.  “So far Eric’s bar is looking like a dark fantasy from Disney World.  I don’t want to deal with the trouble I think will happen when the news hits.” She looks disgusted.  She can just see what will happen in this type of atmosphere since she had seen the same thing to happen to clubs in Phoenix.   Black electrician’s tape is all she can think of.  Black tape and nothing else.

A smirk spreads across Peter’s face.  “Oh, I don’t think I’ll mind.” Unlike Bella, he _knows_ what this club will be like.  And yes, the distaste on her face comes from thinking about the black tape over nipples.  Oh hell yes, he wouldn’t mind this club and guarding Eric in it.

At this point the slap to the back of his head is expected by the group, and none of them hide their grins.  “No one asked you, Peter.” Yep, he deserved it.  And they just grin as Charlotte stands behind him with an eyebrow raised as she waits for his excuses.

 

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Andrew is almost in tears.  He loves this.  The two of them have been making him laugh so hard. Earlier he and Eric had started a betting pool for how many times in a night Peter would get slapped by his Mate.  And it was never for things they would feel bad for him about, nope – he deserved them all and then some.  Andrew’s eyes grow wistful as he can only hope he finds himself a Mate that would be as tolerant of him.

The looks Peter sends to his Mate are full of pleas for pity. “But we will be there every day, why can’t I give some input?” He knew it wouldn’t work, but he has to try….

Eric grins at him across the table. “Give all the input you wish.  I look forward to it.” His eyes are excited, he can only guess at the fucks and feeds he will be able to find in his new club.

Lifting her eyebrow at them, Bella crosses her arms and stares at Eric. He looks back with a playful glint in his eyes. “What?  Pamela will need something to occupy her mind when we take over Louisiana,” he innocently tells her.  He has the same hopes as Peter had just seconds ago, but is getting the same response.

Andrew snorts, and in a true brotherly fashion, adds fuel to the fire. “As if you, the great womanizer of all time, would refuse any woman who throws herself at you.”  He grins at him, throwing him under the bus requires perfect timing to be done right.

Eric’s grin expands as he glances at his brother, his quick glare at him promising retribution as soon as he gets himself out of this pit.  Then glancing at his syrra, he gives her an even more innocent look. “What?”

“And what makes you think I will want to visit you at your whorehouse?”

He pouts at her, and Jasper can’t help but laugh at him.  “She got you.  Nor should you wish our sister to have to face that.” He lifts an eyebrow at him, too.  Jasper never anticipated he would actually get along with Eric so well.

Godric just smiles at them all ganging up on his Son. He also doesn’t want Bella going anywhere near what he thinks his Sons’ bar is going to turn it out to be.  But right now, he is busy making sure that his own bar will have standards. He figured forbidding her to visit until Eric cleans up the place would have his Son learning his lesson.  But right now?  He is just sitting here quietly and enjoying it all.

 

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Eric looks at the vast difference between the bars, and sighs.  “No, you’re right.” His shoulders slump.  He would never want Bella in some place like that.  And looking at the pure…class that will house his Maker and syrra’s headquarters?  No.  And to be truthful, as much as the idea of having women throwing themselves at him makes him grin, it is a reflex.  He doesn’t actually feel like that Eric anymore.  He can easily see himself becoming bored and sick of humans acting like…vermin.

Bella shakes her head.  “Are you sure that it’s going to be that bad?” She can feel Eric’s conflicting emotions, and will give him the bar if he really wants it.  It won’t be all that bad…right?

Jasper snorts.  “Think of Lauren and Jessica.  And if they found out about Eric and all about vampires.” He stares at her as he tells her.  It is the best way he can think of to tell her how bad a bar looking like this will be.

Her face shows her disgust at the thought.  She then chews her bottom lip as she tries to think of what they can do.  Godric reaches out and gently tugs the lip away from her teeth.  He has done this a couple of times, and it has become a habit with the two of them by this point…one that warms the hearts of any who catch him doing it.  It is truly just an affectionate move between the two Mates.

Jasper is also looking over the plans, and Bella tosses more his way.  He looks from the ones Godric and Bella are using for their club; he had heard Godric commenting that he is still not happy with the dance floor.  But other than that, Godric is pleased with the idea.  The business the club will hide will be behind closed doors, and Jasper highly praises that idea since it will make guarding them much easier.  It will be bad enough when he and Bella will be out on the floor, but the theme of their bar will discourage the type of people that would not be suitable for Bella.

However, when he looks over the plans for Eric’s club, the main difference is that Eric will be a Sheriff of another state at the time of the Reveal, so he will need to be more available to the public.  Not that the general public will know what he is to their world, but the orders of his Queen demand it. It is a stupid move of hers, but at the same idea, it could have potential.  But…a club?  What is she thinking?

So Eric’s idea is to capitalize on the fact that he will have to be there.  He is a good looking man and very well knows it.  His idea is to have a throne that he sits on in the club, and basically be accessible for anyone who wishes to approach, while at the same time drawing in females who will want to be with him.  But the people that will be attracted to this kind of bar would be trashy looking.   This is nothing less than the truth.

Jasper sighs, then voices his ideas, hoping they will make sense to the elder vampire. “This would make the best use of his time while he has to do this.  But at the same time, I can see Bella’s point.”  He shrugs and then tells them both, “Maybe have this club for the Reveal, and when the appeal is gone, have another club to use?  And leave this clientele to this one.  Or even build them both, start off at the main one, and move to the other one within a month of the Reveal.  It will make you busy at first, but it can anchor the less desirable clientele to the trashier place.  Hire someone to sit in your seat from the beginning along with you and your Child.  Then you can leave her there along with the other person.” He just throws out ideas that will maybe work.  If the public is not to know about Eric, then why not make the money off of the idiots, and have the club that Bella wouldn’t mind visiting him in as the classier alternative?

Peter grins as his Knower goes off like crazy.  He sees many things working out from this, and making all their lives so much easier. “Yes!  If you do this, Eric, it will make so many things so much easier for you in the long run.” SO much so…the biggest problem would be solved with this plan.  Bella will take care of the others.

Eric flicks a quick look at him, wondering what he knows, then turns his attention back to Jasper.  “The holding rooms?” He is liking the idea, and that is one of the things he will need.  His area fears him, but those holding cells will make his life much easier.

Jasper looks at them, “Both clubs.  Keep the riff raff at the first one, and the higher ups in the other one.  If I understand correctly, you guys’ blood has a drug-like quality to humans, right?” He looks up and stares at Godric and Eric.

The looks of distaste on both vampires faces answer that one.  Nodding his head, Jasper tells them, “Yeah, you know it won’t take long for that shit to get out. Unfortunately, you will be a minority, so the police will not take it seriously at first.”  He shakes his head at the stupidity of humans, but history will prove him right.

When Bella’s head whips up, Jasper tells her softly, “Think of the KKK.  Depending on where they are, they are often set free without even a slap on the wrist.  I lived through the times that helped form these ideas in the past.  I _know_ just as well as these two men that even though it will be easier to be accepted in the Americas, there will still be a lot of issues.  You are smart.  It will just take a bit of time for us to come up with a way to dissuade the haters from actual harm.” He watches her, sad that she has to know this, but it is crucial that she realize just what harm humans can cause.

Sighing, she nods.  Eric looks up at her, “Well, syrra.  I will hand over the planning of the second club to you.  I like your ideas for Godric’s club, and since this is where you will be if you come to visit me, I want you to be comfortable.” He pushes his trust to her and meets her grin.  He expects there will be a lot of back and forth, but he loves how imaginative she was for their club.  He is looking forward to her ideas for his own place.

Godric’s mind starts to twist as it sends up warning signals about a danger to his Mate.  A quick glance at Peter shows that he is also worried.  Pamela will not like any of this, and he is certainly not looking forward to her reaction.  He glances at Peter again, and the look the Cold One sends him is all the confirmation he needs.

Pamela may be a problem if Eric doesn’t do something soon.

 

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**Final count:  7,777 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	23. Feel So Far From Home OT

 

 

 

# Feel So Far From Home OT

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Pre Edit Count – 5,761 Words

 _Song I listened to for this chapter: Where I Come From_ by Lifehouse

 

 

 

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_Previous:_

_Sighing, she nods.  Eric looks up at her, “Well, syrra.  I will hand the makings of the second club to you.  I like your ideas for Godric’s.  Since this will be where you will be if you come to visit me, I want you to be comfortable.” He pushes his trust to her and meets her grin.  He expects this will be a lot of back and forth, but he loves how imaginative she was for their club.  He is looking forward to her ideas for his club._

_Godric’s mind starts to twist, as it sends up warning signs for a danger to his mate.  A quick glance at Peter shows him worried also.  Pamela will not like this.  And he is not looking forward to her reactions. Another glance at Peter and his look at him confirms this in his head._

_Pamela maybe a problem if Eric doesn’t do something._

_Now:_

 

 

 

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Godric called a halt to the planning session when he felt Andrew’s pull for his day sleep to begin.  He told them all to take a literal break, and sent them off to rest, only holding back Eric, Bella and Alcide.

When it is just them, he sits back in his chair with Bella on his lap as always. He gives her head a kiss as he looks at his Son and his Guardian.  He cannot deny the pluses in having either Paul or Jasper over Alcide.  But Alcide’s family, and more importantly, Alcide himself, has earned his position many times over since he has become Godric’s Guardian.  He may have been the best he ever had, in fact.  With this in mind, he looks at Alcide.  “Is this what you want?  I can try to pull strings and have her brought here.” He will leave this up to his Guardian.

Looking at the large monitor showing the outside, Alcide sighs. “I’d rather do that, but this is a question I have been asked just recently.   You know Afanasi is pushing for a Council of all the Supes, especially before the Reveal.  He thinks it will help with public reactions and any concerns for future Reveals.  And he has asked me to be there as part of the Weres.  I have asked to think about it, but the timing is suggesting for me to do it.” He smiles wryly.  He never thought he would do it, but the honor of being asked is a huge one.

Bella smiles. “But this is a good thing.  And I bet you were chosen in part since you _are_ Godric’s Guardian.  That means you have been trained to think more about Vampires and other Supes than most Weres,”  she asks, with nothing in her voice but pride that one of the people who mean so much to her Mate is being chosen for such an honor.

Eric nods.  “That would make sense.” Bella is right on the money with that remark.  Alcide is much more knowledgeable about other Supes because of his training.  He would be the Were who Eric would want on the Council, knowing that he will not automatically vote for Were interests each time.  He would really think about all the consequences.  But at the same time, he is leery of all their Guardians being replaced at once.  Having all new ones is not ideal.  However, on the other side of the coin, all of the new ones, with the exception of Paul, have been in battles of their own and have led others. It is not as though they are raw.

Godric, though, is staring at Alcide. “It is up to you.  Don’t feel like you are being forced.” He knows how much Alcide has wanted this.  After all, Alcide is tied to him by blood, and he can feel the young Were.  Godric knows how hard he has worked under Eric for this honor.  This will be Alcide’s choice.

Alcide finally looks up at him. “But in a way, I am.  I think this really is the right thing to do.  Who knows, the Council can’t be meeting every day, so I can still make my home here, and run the business.  The Gods know that you will need a company to handle your building needs.  And who better than me?  You will never need to wonder if you can trust me.” He grins at him at the end.  He wants the business, not because it will guarantee work for his boys, but because he is excited about their plans.  They will revolutionize the building of clubs with the ideas he has seen.  Godric’s club fascinates him because he thinks it is something so new.  They are capitalizing on the past, and while it may seem old, the fact that the owners are vampires will make it fashionable, even in Dallas.  People will flock to see the vampires, but the club’s rules on attire will weed out the less desirable patrons.  They can go elsewhere.

Godric finally nods.  “If you feel this is a good move, then I have no issues.  I just wanted to make sure you didn’t feel forced.  Now, what do you think about the Whitlocks?” He is very interested in Alcide’s opinion.  He has his own opinion, of course, and will entertain the opinions of his Mate and Son., but Alcide has a unique look on life that he has always valued.

 

 

 

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Alcide sighs and sinks into a chair across from the three of them. “I actually like and trust them.  What I don’t like is how easily they got inside.  I am hoping that they will help close up those holes in security.”  He looks off to the side, thinking through his next words.  Then he tells them, “I actually like the idea of them being your Guardians.  I’m not sure why they split the three of you up the way they have, but Peter insists that Paul remain Bella’s Guardian.  And to have Jasper here, too.  I’m not sure why, though, since Eric is an ancestor of Jasper…shouldn’t he want to be with _him_?” He shakes his head at the end, not understanding why Jasper wouldn’t want to be with Eric.  There is just something about this that bothers him.

Godric shakes his head. That is one of the few things that made sense to him.  “Jasper is more connected to Bella.  I think that is a big part of it.  And I think that I will insist on him traveling with her.  Here, I like having Paul around.  I think the Guardianships are going to change.  Instead of being the Guardian to one of us, I would like to have both Paul and Jasper be Guardians to us both.  I think it will be the best use of their time.  Jasper has managed armies.  I like to have that expertise with me. Eric is his own commander of troops.  Jasper is more than able to handle Guarding us when we are together and Paul needs to sleep. What concerns me is you, Eric.”

The fact that Eric is getting two of the Guardians worries him. He wishes he knew what Peter did, because he has an uneasy feeling that the things the young Cold One is holding back may be what hurts them.  But he feels as though he can trust Peter.  He would like to talk to him, to get to know him.  He thinks that the over-talking is hiding things that Peter has to keep quiet or that he has been shown in the past that speaking of them would be disastrous.  His Knower is a valuable tool, but he cannot think the bearing of such a gift can be easy.

Bella nods in agreement with her Mate’s comments as she looks at Eric. “I get the feeling that I’m not the only change coming for you.  Peter was more excited about the new club than even we were.  But from his reactions, he knows what Fangtasia is going to be like, and he is the sort who would enjoy Guarding you there more than at the other place.  I think we need to get everything in place that we can.  And that means me, too, gentlemen.” She is resolute at the end. There is something happening and she is not sure that they will have the time for a perfect turn, which she suspects is what Godric wants.

Growls erupt from both of them. She has no idea why they don’t want her turned, so shaking her head, she asks, “Don’t you want me to changed?” And there is a slight hurt in her voice and in their bonds.

Godric pulls her closer into his chest.  “Yes, very much so.  But I don’t want it rushed, a ghra!  There are many changes happening, and I want to be able to concentrate on you once you are turned.” He knows she thinks he is waiting for the perfect time, but there is no such thing.  The “perfect” time would have been in Forks.   However he does want to do it right, to allow her the time to enjoy life as a human.

Eric nods, but knowing Bella, he decides to explain the actual issues that they are facing regarding the turning.  Looking into her eyes, he tells her, “We have no idea what gifts you will be given upon rising.  And without knowing that, there is no way to prepare you for all of them.  Nor is there any way to know how strong your abilities are going to be.  The fact that you won’t be able to drink from any but the two of us also has me concerned.  It’s not like we can have bags of donor blood ready, and the potency of our blood is gone pretty fast except for the drug-like qualities.  I will not have you as my little sister having anything but the best!” His eyes are a deep blue as he tells her this.  He wants her to have everything she needs to be powerful.

No matter what Peter says, she will be turned by them.  They will be there to ensure that she will be as strong as she can be, though he does wonder at the strength of a newborn turned by Godric, who is an elder.  And being fed exclusively by their blood, which would make her…much stronger.  He would never do it normally since it would be so hard to switch over to normal blood, but if she can never drink it…

Listening to his Son listing all the reasons that he himself has thought of, Godric agrees. “There is plenty to be done, and you will be by my side at all times.  Any time lost is only when you need it, but it will be the same as when you are a vampire.  A thaisce, you will have much to keep your attention.  And I will have you changed before the end of the year.  Just give us until then to get you and us ready.” Plus, there is that wedding, and getting the ring.  He knows not much about humans, but even he knows how important an engagement ring is in her culture.

Sighing, she nods, and rests her head back in what she considers her nook in his neck.  She had never considered the things Eric had brought up.

Godric holds her close, but he is looking at Eric and acknowledging the truths he has pointed out.  To say the least, his Mate will have a hell of a turning. He remembers how hungry Eric, Nora and Andrew were upon their rising.

Alcide has been clicking on the desk and he tells them, “Well, I’m set.  I’ll be out of the state by this evening.  I have also issued orders for the work to start in the three locations.  If everything is how we think it will be, I will be back later this week to see the progress.  If Eric doesn’t mind, I think I will give Godric priority.  But then, with it being in two states, I have some who can work in one state and not in the other.” His mind is swirling with the ideas he has for the work crews, and how to get their plans becoming reality as soon as possible.

They nod, and Alcide leaves the room with one grinning glance back at them.  There is no doubt that he wants to meet his Mate.

The three sit there thinking.  Eric finally leans forward. “So we are going to do this?” He is asking about all of it:  Godric taking the reins of the state, taking down Sophie Anne, building the new clubs, and all the complications involved.  He knows that Godric will do anything for Bella, the same as he would for him, so that was not even part of the question.

Godric is trailing his hand down his Mate’s arm and he smirks as he watches the goose bumps follow the path of his fingers as he nods to Eric.  “Yes.  I already let Andrew know.  The coronation ceremony will wait until the club is ready but it is in effect as of tonight.  And I will have Peter and Charlotte be in charge of your little problem.  I feel as though they will be effective there.” He chuckles at the thought.  And they _will_ be effective as Cold Ones, not subject to her, and under his protection as well.  Yes, they will do great as the spymasters in charge of the take down of Sophie Anne.  And if they do as well as he thinks they will, he may just put them in charge of his own spy network.

Bella laughs at the idea, “Why do I think that Peter loves being who and what he is?” She just shakes her head at her… well, great grandfather?  But he had mentioned he wanted to be closer than that.  She is just not sure what he will be to her.

Watching the two of them, Eric grins as he sees the reaction his sister is having to Godric’s caresses. He enjoys their interactions and the feelings he gets from the Bonds. “And he has no problem letting the world know.  He will be a good match for me, actually.  I like Jasper, and I think we will get along well.  But for the beginning?  I think he will be better for the two of you and for Paul, too.  He cares.  Peter is entertaining and probably will always have fun, and I suspect he’ll give me more leeway than Jasper would.” He smirks at his sister, knowing as well as she does that she will be more on lock-down.  And damn right she would be!  She has been the target of too much already.

Leaning his head back, Godric answers Eric, “I agree.  As much as I don’t like it, you have been without a true Guardian since you left my side.  For now, let’s go with what we have.  And Eric, can you see about getting someone here to feed Bella and Paul?” He is running through the plans he has made since he and Bella got up.  He needs Bella by his side and not worrying about cooking, cleaning and so on.  But knowing her, he will need to bring it to her slowly.  First thing, however, is getting her a cook.  That will be the easiest to get past her.

 

 

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/allan-hyde-4.jpg)

Bella starts to shake her head in denial, but Godric stops her. “A ghra, you have had no time to make food for yourself.  I don’t see this stopping anytime soon, either.  And Paul has admitted to being hopeless in the kitchen.  So even if you were turned tonight, I would still need to hire one for him.  The rest of the servants can be discussed later.  But for now, allow me to keep you healthy.” He stares into her blue eyes, a slight smile on his face as he notices they are exactly like Eric’s.  He loves his Son, and he hopes that Eric will now become the final part of the offer he had made him so very long ago:  Brother.  God knows Eric has taught him so much, but he is tired of being his Father.

As Godric stares down at his Mate, Eric speaks up, “I would also like Bella to have some of my blood tonight.  Peter said the pain is because your brain is much more advanced than your human body.  So unless you want to complete the third exchange and all that it signifies, I wish you to take my blood.  It will help strengthen our own Bond as well as help you manage the pain.” He smiles.  Even though he knows their Goddess-Blessed Bond is permanent, he will feel better knowing that _this_ kind of Bond, something that he understands, will be there.  His smile turns wry as he can hear that his Goddess is not pleased that he would doubt the Bond that she herself had put into place.

Bella looks at him then Godric.  “You keep mentioning drug like properties to your blood.” She is not protesting, but she wants to make sure that she understands it all.  She never wants to find out later it does something different.

Godric cuts her off in mid-thought, “It is all intention.  I prefer you to have only my blood, but that may not always be possible.  There normally are side effects, but since you and Eric already have a fully formed Bond Blessed by the Goddess, I don’t think you have to worry about wanting him sexually, nor dreaming of him in that way.  Plus he already loves you, so the dreams would not be bad.  But a thaisce, I do agree with him, now that we know how to prevent this from being a problem, you should get blood from each of us each day.  It will help put to off the change.” His gazes down into her eyes.  He is being sincere; now that they know what causes the pain, he wants to ease her suffering as much as possible.  This will extend her human time since it didn’t matter how much of their blood she had.  She is already Goddess Bonded, and on her way to being Bonded to him.

Thinking about it, Bella closes her eyes. “It just feels wrong.” She tries to explain why it felt wrong, but she is at a loss for words.

Eric pulls her into his lap, and looks into her eyes.  “Why, syrra?  Do you not want to be free of pain?  Godric and I have been pulling the pain away from you all day, but you should be feeling the effects.  It is not as if your body has not been needing this.  That is what the pain signifies.” He truly is trying to understand here.  Why is she feeling reluctant?  Is it his blood?

She looks into his eyes, then tells him, “But what if it makes me more of a freak?  I already can’t be a normal vampire.  And then to find out that my brain is different?” Tears gather in her eyes as she tells her brother one of her worries.

 

 

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/alexander-skarsgard-55.jpg)

Eric pulls her to him and shushes her, his hand rubbing her back.   He tells her softly, “You are not a freak.  You are a blessing.  I will do anything for you, syrra.  Giving you my blood to have you in my life is NOT a hardship.  It really does nothing in me, and it is easily replaced.  Now, if you ask for other parts for me, well, they take longer to grow back.  I am not giving you anything besides the haircut you asked for and for the blood you need to survive on.”  The last is said teasingly.

When she finally nods, he quickly reaches up, bites his wrist, and offers it to her.  And he readies himself for the effect that taking blood normally has on that person.

Amazingly, there is none.  He can feel their Bond but nothing sexual takes place.  And for that, he is very glad.  He takes pleasure knowing he can help care for his syrra, but that is all it is.

Godric also monitors the Bond he has with the two of them for any effects.  When nothing happens besides her pain receding and Eric’s happiness in being close to his sister, he too relaxes.  He wouldn’t deny the two of them being closer, but either of them having the typical sexual reaction?  _No_.  _His_ _Mate_.

Once Eric’s wrist closes, she looks up at him and smiles.  After wiping the corner of her mouth, she gives Eric a kiss on his cheek.  He grins back at her, and kisses her chastely.  Tucking a piece of hair behind her ear he says, “Jag älskar dig, Min Syrra.” ( _I love you, my sister.)_

Godric soon has her back in his arms. He licks Eric’s blood from her finger, then, with a growl, he is gone from the room with her in his arms.

Eric leans back laughing.  While there was no effect from her drinking his blood on either of them, it had obviously affected Godric!  He turns to the computer and starts working on the requests his Maker had made.  This should be an interesting couple of hours…

 

 

 

* * *

Godric quickly has them in the room, and has her pressed against the wall  His lips were devouring hers, and hers equally demanding of his own, with their love, desire and plain lust for the other bouncing to and from  each other in the bond.

He only stops to check on her well-being, and grins at her as he murmurs into her lips, “Are you sure a thaisce?  The need from you is quite overwhelming.” His voice is much deeper than normal, and he is rubbing his erection into her center as she has her legs around his hips.

She moans as he nips at her throat, but she hesitates. He murmurs, “Only as far as you wish to go.  I will not push you, a ghra.  Never ever.”  Each word is bestowed with a kiss and a large surge of love being sent to her.

He knows that they will Mate, and probably very soon if the raging desire in both of their bodies is any sign, but for now he will go only as fast as she wants.

He soon has her clothes floating in the air from where he had torn them into tiny little bits. Her moans were spurring him on as he took in his Mate’s luscious body for the second time.

 

 

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/bella-and-godric-11.jpg)

A smirk forms on his face for the pleasure he is about to bestow upon her. He kisses her deeply, his fingers moving down her body for him to start his promise to her of knowing her body intimately.   As his fingers reach her undoubtedly dripping love box so he could stroke her pussy, he found his Mate’s hands on his stopping him from petting her kitty.

He looks down at his a thaisce and asks softly, “Bella?”  He can feel – and smell – that she wants this as badly as he does.  God knows his cock is straining to be pillaging that love cave of hers.

She looks at him, cups his face between her hands, and asks, “When is the last time you washed your hands?”

 

 

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/allan-hyde-43.jpg)

Everything stops at that points as he frowns down at her. “I don’t understand.”  He can feel her need for him, and his hands are so close to the promised land. So why is she asking when he washed his hands?  What does that have to do with the glorious scent coming from his mate?  He can feel her succulent juices running down their legs and there is no way he doesn’t want to be licking up that sweet honey gushing from that pot of hers.

Looking at him with love in her eyes, she asks him again, “When is the last time you washed your hands???”  It is a pretty easy question to answer, she thinks.

He just stares at her. Seeing how confused he is, Bella sighs, then explains to him, “I read on this author’s page about the hazards of sex in fanfiction. And this was one of them. I didn’t think you would be so clichéd as to want to lick my dripping honey pot, though.”  Seeing his shocked face, she leans forward and kisses him sweetly before she continues, “So, I worried about the last time you washed your hands, what with you being a vampire and all.”  She looks into his glorious eyes and waits for him to answer.

Godric can do nothing but stare at his Mate for some long minutes.

 

 

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/allan-hyde-70.jpg)

When nothing happens, she finally takes her legs from his waist and, landing on her feet, tells him, “I’ll be in the tub when you are ready….” With that she sashays into the bathroom, leaving a shell-shocked vampire gaping behind her.

Godric is trying to make sense of what just happened.  They were getting hot and heavy, and then she stops to ask if he washed his hands?  Where the fuck did this worry about hygiene come from?  He looks around their room and he suddenly notices the new box of baby wipes by the bedside…and the industrial-sized jugs of Germ-X all over the place.  He swallows hard and eventually pulls on a pair of sweats.  His mind is trying to make some sort of sense of what has happened.

Wandering out of the room, he sees Eric still in the conference room and sits down next to him.

Eric looks up and, noticing his maker there, casually asks, “Author on fanfiction?”  He was in that position not too long before.  It makes no sense.  Who goes and washes their hands before they go to fuck someone?  Especially a fuck and feed!

Godric dazedly nods at his son.

Eric nods as Peter and Jasper walk in.  Godric barely looks up at them, and nods as well.  He suspects that these two have been in this position before, at least once.

Peter sits down and puts a hand on Godric’s shoulder in commiseration, “Yeah, she got to Charlotte, too.”  He shakes his head.  Where the fuck are these women coming from?  They’re vampires – it ain’t like they wipe themselves or pee.  Nope.  He takes showers when he feels dirty which is, what, every once a month or so?  They don’t sweat or shed skin cells or even have body odor.

Godric just stares at the table. His voice shows how shocked he is when he tells them, “I was finally going to have her….”

Eric nods. “Yeah, I had it when I was in the middle of a fuck and feed, when the vermin asked me when I had last washed my hands.  When I just stared at her trying to figure out what she was talking about, she got up and left.  Pam had to explain it to me.”  He shakes his head and exclaims, “Don’t they know we are vampires???”

 

 

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/alexander-skarsgard-53.jpg)

Peter just shakes his head in commiseration, “Try me! Fuck -Char _is_ a vampire! It’s not like she _can_ get a disease!” Peter whines to them.

Jasper sits back and finally asks, “I don’t get it.”  What the hell is up with washing hands?

Eric looks up from the paperwork in front of him, and, seeing that he really has no clue about it, informs him, “It all started out as a rant from some fanfiction author who was getting annoyed at so many badly written fanfiction lemons.”

Interrupting him, Jasper clears his throat and asks, “Lemons?”  What does fruit have to do with sex?

 

 

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/jackson-rathbone-2.jpg)

Blown away by his sire’s question, Peter looks up at him, “What the fuck man, even I know what a lemon is!”  Shaking his head he tells him, “Seriously. You need to check out this other author. She has the citrus grades down to a science.”  He had taken it upon himself to make sure there would be no more halts in their fucking.  He liked a shower scene he had read in one book and tried it.  And, since they were already in the shower, Char didn’t ask about clean hands.

Jasper stares at him with a raised eyebrow.  He truly has no idea what they are talking about.  He had been with the tomboyish Malice for the last 60 years.  All she cared about was fashion.  Reading was overrated according to her.

“Fuck. It’s when you fuck the girl.”  Peter cannot help it.  He remembers his sire telling them they need to keep up with the times, yet _he_ doesn’t know what a lemon was?

Jasper growls at his progeny, “Hey, I’ve been with a sexless  boy-like female for the last 60 years.  Give me a break.”  It had been hell.  Straight up hell.

Eric’s eyebrow goes up and he leans back with his hands folded on his stomach, “Why the hell would you be with a boy-like female for that long?” Jasper is a good looking male. Why would he settle for a stick figure?  It’s obvious with the hate in his voice that it was not something he enjoyed.

Godric just shakes his head.  Who the hell cares? He snarls out, “I had Bella against the fucking wall, then when she was giving into me, and I had her naked in front of me and…she stopped me!!” His Mate, he was going to finally have the woman of his dreams and was stopped!  Who the fuck cares what Jasper has been fucking?

Jasper just stares at Godric and takes in the frustrated vampire in front of him.

As he feels for Godric’s plight, Peter growls, “Well this fanfiction author wrote about all these clichés in lemon scenes out there. And she then makes remarks about germs from the males fingers going up into the females honey pots or caverns, mentioning mold and yeast infections and bugs and bats coming from it.  This rant got to these other authors and they commented on it.  It evolved to the point that one of them was making fun of sex between an Eric and some chic named Sookie, mentioning using flannel…and logs-“

All the men shudder and tell him, “We get it!!”

Eric reminds himself to never wear flannel, but since he hardly knows the names of the vermin he fucks, he cannot help that part.  But he will never, ever wear flannel.  No matter what Pam says.

Godric looks up. “You mean my Mate, the woman I have waited for over 2,000 years for, who is still a virgin in a hot and rocking bod that is my very dreams brought to life, who was panting for me and weeping for me-“

Interrupting the elder vampire, Peter shouts, “That was a point from the list!!! Never use that or the word ‘dripping’!”

Godric growls at the Cold One, his eyes darkening as he snarls out, his fangs showing, “The fucking point is that she was wanting me and ready for us to go all the way, and some author ranting about the clichés in this fanfiction caused her to stop us!!”

 

 

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/godric-and-you-provoke-me.png)

His eyes glow bright as he demands from Eric, “I want the name and address of this author.”

Trying to help a brother out, Peter hesitantly tells him, “Umm, it’s fanfiction. They write under fake names.”

Godric slams his hands down hard enough to crack his computer conference table. “I want that fucking name!!!”

Eric quickly gives him a name. Godric runs out of the room cussing and swearing.

Jasper just sits there laughing his ass off.

Peter looks at him. “You are laughing when he is going to ruin a woman’s life?” He is shocked at the anger in Godric; he would have never thought the vampire would go that crazy.

Jasper snorts from the laughter. “He gave him Charlaine Harris’s name.”  Even he knows how fucked up that writer is; he had heard Rose and Esme ranting and gagging about slippy slappy seal sex.

Godric is about to get every woman’s revenge on the woman.

The End

 

 

 

* * *

**Final count: 5,472 words.**

**Hope you enjoyed this little outtake.  It came from a night of talking to my betas in our chats and they begged me to finish it.  Now to read the real chapter, click[here](../1996802).**

**And if you want to read the rant that inspired this, go[here](http://addicted2godric.wordpress.com/meanderings-gripes-enter-at-your-own-risk-or-add-your-own/just-a-few-of-my-observations-regarding-sex-scenes-in-the-fanfic-world/).  The author about the citrus is me since I explained one night in detail the difference between citrus levels.  
**


	24. Feel So Far From Home

 

# Feel So Far From Home

**[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/995108_489075877841776_136061059_n.jpg) **

**Pre Edit Count – 5,761 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Where I Come From_ by Lifehouse

 

* * *

_Previous:_

_Sighing, she nods.  Eric looks up at her, “Well, syrra.  I will hand the makings of the second club to you.  I like your ideas for Godric’s.  Since this will be where you will be if you come to visit me, I want you to be comfortable.” He pushes his trust to her and meets her grin.  He expects this will be a lot of back and forth, but he loves how imaginative she was for their club.  He is looking forward to her ideas for his club._

_Godric’s mind starts to twist, as it sends up warning signs for a danger to his mate.  A quick glance at Peter shows him worried also.  Pamela will not like this.  And he is not looking forward to her reactions. Another glance at Peter and his look at him confirms this in his head._

_Pamela maybe a problem if Eric doesn’t do something._

_Now:_

 

* * *

Godric called a halt to the planning session when he felt Andrew’s pull for his day sleep to begin.  He told them all to take a literal break, and sent them off to rest, only holding back Eric, Bella and Alcide.

When it is just them, he sits back in his chair with Bella on his lap as always. He gives her head a kiss as he looks at his Son and his Guardian.  He cannot deny the pluses in having either Paul or Jasper over Alcide.  But Alcide’s family, and more importantly, Alcide himself, has earned his position many times over since he has become Godric’s Guardian.  He may have been the best he ever had, in fact.  With this in mind, he looks at Alcide.  “Is this what you want?  I can try to pull strings and have her brought here.” He will leave this up to his Guardian.

Looking at the large monitor showing the outside, Alcide sighs. “I’d rather do that, but this is a question I have been asked just recently.   You know Afanasi is pushing for a Council of all the Supes, especially before the Reveal.  He thinks it will help with public reactions and any concerns for future Reveals.  And he has asked me to be there as part of the Weres.  I have asked to think about it, but the timing is suggesting for me to do it.” He smiles wryly.  He never thought he would do it, but the honor of being asked is a huge one.

Bella smiles. “But this is a good thing.  And I bet you were chosen in part since you _are_ Godric’s Guardian.  That means you have been trained to think more about Vampires and other Supes than most Weres,”  she asks, with nothing in her voice but pride that one of the people who mean so much to her Mate is being chosen for such an honor.

Eric nods.  “That would make sense.” Bella is right on the money with that remark.  Alcide is much more knowledgeable about other Supes because of his training.  He would be the Were who Eric would want on the Council, knowing that he will not automatically vote for Were interests each time.  He would really think about all the consequences.  But at the same time, he is leery of all their Guardians being replaced at once.  Having all new ones is not ideal.  However, on the other side of the coin, all of the new ones, with the exception of Paul, have been in battles of their own and have led others. It is not as though they are raw.

Godric, though, is staring at Alcide. “It is up to you.  Don’t feel like you are being forced.” He knows how much Alcide has wanted this.  After all, Alcide is tied to him by blood, and he can feel the young Were.  Godric knows how hard he has worked under Eric for this honor.  This will be Alcide’s choice.

Alcide finally looks up at him. “But in a way, I am.  I think this really is the right thing to do.  Who knows, the Council can’t be meeting every day, so I can still make my home here, and run the business.  The Gods know that you will need a company to handle your building needs.  And who better than me?  You will never need to wonder if you can trust me.” He grins at him at the end.  He wants the business, not because it will guarantee work for his boys, but because he is excited about their plans.  They will revolutionize the building of clubs with the ideas he has seen.  Godric’s club fascinates him because he thinks it is something so new.  They are capitalizing on the past, and while it may seem old, the fact that the owners are vampires will make it fashionable, even in Dallas.  People will flock to see the vampires, but the club’s rules on attire will weed out the less desirable patrons.  They can go elsewhere.

Godric finally nods.  “If you feel this is a good move, then I have no issues.  I just wanted to make sure you didn’t feel forced.  Now, what do you think about the Whitlocks?” He is very interested in Alcide’s opinion.  He has his own opinion, of course, and will entertain the opinions of his Mate and Son., but Alcide has a unique look on life that he has always valued.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/alcide-4.jpg)

Alcide sighs and sinks into a chair across from the three of them. “I actually like and trust them.  What I don’t like is how easily they got inside.  I am hoping that they will help close up those holes in security.”  He looks off to the side, thinking through his next words.  Then he tells them, “I actually like the idea of them being your Guardians.  I’m not sure why they split the three of you up the way they have, but Peter insists that Paul remain Bella’s Guardian.  And to have Jasper here, too.  I’m not sure why, though, since Eric is an ancestor of Jasper…shouldn’t he want to be with _him_?” He shakes his head at the end, not understanding why Jasper wouldn’t want to be with Eric.  There is just something about this that bothers him.

Godric shakes his head. That is one of the few things that made sense to him.  “Jasper is more connected to Bella.  I think that is a big part of it.  And I think that I will insist on him traveling with her.  Here, I like having Paul around.  I think the Guardianships are going to change.  Instead of being the Guardian to one of us, I would like to have both Paul and Jasper be Guardians to us both.  I think it will be the best use of their time.  Jasper has managed armies.  I like to have that expertise with me. Eric is his own commander of troops.  Jasper is more than able to handle Guarding us when we are together and Paul needs to sleep. What concerns me is you, Eric.”

The fact that Eric is getting two of the Guardians worries him. He wishes he knew what Peter did, because he has an uneasy feeling that the things the young Cold One is holding back may be what hurts them.  But he feels as though he can trust Peter.  He would like to talk to him, to get to know him.  He thinks that the over-talking is hiding things that Peter has to keep quiet or that he has been shown in the past that speaking of them would be disastrous.  His Knower is a valuable tool, but he cannot think the bearing of such a gift can be easy.

Bella nods in agreement with her Mate’s comments as she looks at Eric. “I get the feeling that I’m not the only change coming for you.  Peter was more excited about the new club than even we were.  But from his reactions, he knows what Fangtasia is going to be like, and he is the sort who would enjoy Guarding you there more than at the other place.  I think we need to get everything in place that we can.  And that means me, too, gentlemen.” She is resolute at the end. There is something happening and she is not sure that they will have the time for a perfect turn, which she suspects is what Godric wants.

Growls erupt from both of them. She has no idea why they don’t want her turned, so shaking her head, she asks, “Don’t you want me to changed?” And there is a slight hurt in her voice and in their bonds.

Godric pulls her closer into his chest.  “Yes, very much so.  But I don’t want it rushed, a ghra!  There are many changes happening, and I want to be able to concentrate on you once you are turned.” He knows she thinks he is waiting for the perfect time, but there is no such thing.  The “perfect” time would have been in Forks.   However he does want to do it right, to allow her the time to enjoy life as a human.

Eric nods, but knowing Bella, he decides to explain the actual issues that they are facing regarding the turning.  Looking into her eyes, he tells her, “We have no idea what gifts you will be given upon rising.  And without knowing that, there is no way to prepare you for all of them.  Nor is there any way to know how strong your abilities are going to be.  The fact that you won’t be able to drink from any but the two of us also has me concerned.  It’s not like we can have bags of donor blood ready, and the potency of our blood is gone pretty fast except for the drug-like qualities.  I will not have you as my little sister having anything but the best!” His eyes are a deep blue as he tells her this.  He wants her to have everything she needs to be powerful.

No matter what Peter says, she will be turned by them.  They will be there to ensure that she will be as strong as she can be, though he does wonder at the strength of a newborn turned by Godric, who is an elder.  And being fed exclusively by their blood, which would make her…much stronger.  He would never do it normally since it would be so hard to switch over to normal blood, but if she can never drink it…

Listening to his Son listing all the reasons that he himself has thought of, Godric agrees. “There is plenty to be done, and you will be by my side at all times.  Any time lost is only when you need it, but it will be the same as when you are a vampire.  A thaisce, you will have much to keep your attention.  And I will have you changed before the end of the year.  Just give us until then to get you and us ready.” Plus, there is that wedding, and getting the ring.  He knows not much about humans, but even he knows how important an engagement ring is in her culture.

Sighing, she nods, and rests her head back in what she considers her nook in his neck.  She had never considered the things Eric had brought up.

Godric holds her close, but he is looking at Eric and acknowledging the truths he has pointed out.  To say the least, his Mate will have a hell of a turning. He remembers how hungry Eric, Nora and Andrew were upon their rising.

Alcide has been clicking on the desk and he tells them, “Well, I’m set.  I’ll be out of the state by this evening.  I have also issued orders for the work to start in the three locations.  If everything is how we think it will be, I will be back later this week to see the progress.  If Eric doesn’t mind, I think I will give Godric priority.  But then, with it being in two states, I have some who can work in one state and not in the other.” His mind is swirling with the ideas he has for the work crews, and how to get their plans becoming reality as soon as possible.

They nod, and Alcide leaves the room with one grinning glance back at them.  There is no doubt that he wants to meet his Mate.

The three sit there thinking.  Eric finally leans forward. “So we are going to do this?” He is asking about all of it:  Godric taking the reins of the state, taking down Sophie Anne, building the new clubs, and all the complications involved.  He knows that Godric will do anything for Bella, the same as he would for him, so that was not even part of the question.

Godric is trailing his hand down his Mate’s arm and he smirks as he watches the goose bumps follow the path of his fingers as he nods to Eric.  “Yes.  I already let Andrew know.  The coronation ceremony will wait until the club is ready but it is in effect as of tonight.  And I will have Peter and Charlotte be in charge of your little problem.  I feel as though they will be effective there.” He chuckles at the thought.  And they _will_ be effective as Cold Ones, not subject to her, and under his protection as well.  Yes, they will do great as the spymasters in charge of the take down of Sophie Anne.  And if they do as well as he thinks they will, he may just put them in charge of his own spy network.

Bella laughs at the idea, “Why do I think that Peter loves being who and what he is?” She just shakes her head at her… well, great grandfather?  But he had mentioned he wanted to be closer than that.  She is just not sure what he will be to her.

Watching the two of them, Eric grins as he sees the reaction his sister is having to Godric’s caresses. He enjoys their interactions and the feelings he gets from the Bonds. “And he has no problem letting the world know.  He will be a good match for me, actually.  I like Jasper, and I think we will get along well.  But for the beginning?  I think he will be better for the two of you and for Paul, too.  He cares.  Peter is entertaining and probably will always have fun, and I suspect he’ll give me more leeway than Jasper would.” He smirks at his sister, knowing as well as she does that she will be more on lock-down.  And damn right she would be!  She has been the target of too much already.

Leaning his head back, Godric answers Eric, “I agree.  As much as I don’t like it, you have been without a true Guardian since you left my side.  For now, let’s go with what we have.  And Eric, can you see about getting someone here to feed Bella and Paul?” He is running through the plans he has made since he and Bella got up.  He needs Bella by his side and not worrying about cooking, cleaning and so on.  But knowing her, he will need to bring it to her slowly.  First thing, however, is getting her a cook.  That will be the easiest to get past her.

 

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Bella starts to shake her head in denial, but Godric stops her. “A ghra, you have had no time to make food for yourself.  I don’t see this stopping anytime soon, either.  And Paul has admitted to being hopeless in the kitchen.  So even if you were turned tonight, I would still need to hire one for him.  The rest of the servants can be discussed later.  But for now, allow me to keep you healthy.” He stares into her blue eyes, a slight smile on his face as he notices they are exactly like Eric’s.  He loves his Son, and he hopes that Eric will now become the final part of the offer he had made him so very long ago:  Brother.  God knows Eric has taught him so much, but he is tired of being his Father.

As Godric stares down at his Mate, Eric speaks up, “I would also like Bella to have some of my blood tonight.  Peter said the pain is because your brain is much more advanced than your human body.  So unless you want to complete the third exchange and all that it signifies, I wish you to take my blood.  It will help strengthen our own Bond as well as help you manage the pain.” He smiles.  Even though he knows their Goddess-Blessed Bond is permanent, he will feel better knowing that _this_ kind of Bond, something that he understands, will be there.  His smile turns wry as he can hear that his Goddess is not pleased that he would doubt the Bond that she herself had put into place.

Bella looks at him then Godric.  “You keep mentioning drug like properties to your blood.” She is not protesting, but she wants to make sure that she understands it all.  She never wants to find out later it does something different.

Godric cuts her off in mid-thought, “It is all intention.  I prefer you to have only my blood, but that may not always be possible.  There normally are side effects, but since you and Eric already have a fully formed Bond Blessed by the Goddess, I don’t think you have to worry about wanting him sexually, nor dreaming of him in that way.  Plus he already loves you, so the dreams would not be bad.  But a thaisce, I do agree with him, now that we know how to prevent this from being a problem, you should get blood from each of us each day.  It will help put to off the change.” His gazes down into her eyes.  He is being sincere; now that they know what causes the pain, he wants to ease her suffering as much as possible.  This will extend her human time since it didn’t matter how much of their blood she had.  She is already Goddess Bonded, and on her way to being Bonded to him.

Thinking about it, Bella closes her eyes. “It just feels wrong.” She tries to explain why it felt wrong, but she is at a loss for words.

Eric pulls her into his lap, and looks into her eyes.  “Why, syrra?  Do you not want to be free of pain?  Godric and I have been pulling the pain away from you all day, but you should be feeling the effects.  It is not as if your body has not been needing this.  That is what the pain signifies.” He truly is trying to understand here.  Why is she feeling reluctant?  Is it his blood?

She looks into his eyes, then tells him, “But what if it makes me more of a freak?  I already can’t be a normal vampire.  And then to find out that my brain is different?” Tears gather in her eyes as she tells her brother one of her worries.

 

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Eric pulls her to him and shushes her, his hand rubbing her back.   He tells her softly, “You are not a freak.  You are a blessing.  I will do anything for you, syrra.  Giving you my blood to have you in my life is NOT a hardship.  It really does nothing in me, and it is easily replaced.  Now, if you ask for other parts for me, well, they take longer to grow back.  I am not giving you anything besides the haircut you asked for and for the blood you need to survive on.”  The last is said teasingly.

When she finally nods, he quickly reaches up, bites his wrist, and offers it to her.  And he readies himself for the effect that taking blood normally has on that person.

Amazingly, there is none.  He can feel their Bond but nothing sexual takes place.  And for that, he is very glad.  He takes pleasure knowing he can help care for his syrra, but that is all it is.

Godric also monitors the Bond he has with the two of them for any effects.  When nothing happens besides her pain receding and Eric’s happiness in being close to his sister, he too relaxes.  He wouldn’t deny the two of them being closer, but either of them having the typical sexual reaction?  _No_.  _His_ _Mate_.

Once Eric’s wrist closes, she looks up at him and smiles.  After wiping the corner of her mouth, she gives Eric a kiss on his cheek.  He grins back at her, and kisses her chastely.  Tucking a piece of hair behind her ear he says, “Jag älskar dig, Min Syrra.” ( _I love you, my sister.)_

Godric soon has her back in his arms. He licks Eric’s blood from her finger, then, with a growl, he is gone from the room with her in his arms.

Eric leans back laughing.  While there was no effect from her drinking his blood on either of them, it had obviously affected Godric!  He turns to the computer and starts working on the requests his Maker had made.  This should be an interesting couple of hours…

 

* * *

Godric quickly has them in the room, and has her pressed against the wall  His lips were devouring hers, and hers equally demanding of his own, with their love, desire and plain lust for the other bouncing to and from  each other in the bond.

He only stops to check on her well-being, and grins at her as he murmurs into her lips, “Are you sure a thaisce?  The need from you is quite overwhelming.” His voice is much deeper than normal, and he is rubbing his erection into her center as she has her legs around his hips.

She moans as he nips at her throat, but she hesitates. He murmurs, “Only as far as you wish to go.  I will not push you, a ghra.  Never ever.”  Each word is bestowed with a kiss and a large surge of love being sent to her.

He knows that they will Mate, and probably very soon if the raging desire in both of their bodies is any sign, but for now he will go only as fast as she wants.

Bella’s mind is becoming hazy with her Mate’s passion and the need coming from both of them.  She tightens her legs already firmly wrapped around his trim waist.

When she pushes herself closer, trying to get friction where her body is demanding it, Godric growls and has them at their bed in seconds.  He lowers her to the bed, kissing her mouth demandingly.  The only time he breaks away is when she tugs his shirt off, and only then because she needs air.

He soon has her shirt torn and left in pieces along with her bra.  He is trying to be gentle, but she is not helping much as she is pushing her desire onto him.

Bella on her part is not much better.  She wants Godric and she wants him now!  She is tired of the all the cock blocking she has endured the last year and…she wants him so much!

Godric soon has her jeans unbuttoned and forces himself to slow down, to give her the love that she deserves.  But as he kisses down her leg, she lifts herself on her elbows and growls at her Mate.

He looks at her with a smirk. “What is wrong, a thaisce?  I thought every woman wants the romance…”

She just gives him a look.  “You can and will give me all the romance any woman would ever want.  It’s just a part of you.  But right now, and probably in the future, there will be times that I just want _you_.”

In seconds he is naked and kissing her.  “Oh, I can and will give you whatever you wish, a ghra.  Always.  But what if I want to make your first time special?”

She looks up at his face as she tries to move her hips.  But his are holding her down, and she can feel his erection on her hip. She is frustrated.

 

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Godric takes some mercy on her.  He tells her softly.  “I will give you hard and fast other times, Lá Mhuire, ( _my lady_ ).  But this time needs to be slow.  Otherwise, I will hurt you.  As it is, the pain you will feel is unbearable for me to even think of.  I will do much to prevent it, but you must let me go slower.  After this, you will find I am as horny as any male my physical age is.”  He grins at her as his own hips surge towards her, and he sends her his own lust and desire as well as the love he is feeling.  But he cannot deny the need he is starting to feel to claim his Mate in every way.

Her head falls back, and the feeling of rejection passes through Godric making him shudder from the pain of it.

He groans and nips at her throat as he corrects his petite Mate. “Don’t get me wrong, a ghra. I am not going to stop tonight, if this is what you want.”

She sighs. “I guess I _am_ wanting too much.  I always seem to do that. I pushed Edward too far too.”

With that she finds a very aroused and angry Mate on top of her.  His eyes are glowing in their anger as he growls out, “ _Never_ compare me to that incompetent idiot!  I am _not_ him.  I have not nor will I ever deny you the pleasure you wish.  I will give it to you.  I can do nothing else but answer your plea for our Mating to be consummated.  Me wanting to make sure you are ready for me is not _ME_ rejecting you!” His very eyes commanding her to understand him.

Her eyes dilate and she finds herself aroused by her Mate.  His fangs are down, and there is no question of him being a dominant feral male at this time.

He smirks as he registers her feelings.  He purrs at her as he looks down at her. “Oh a ghra, you like that do you?”  He leans down and takes her lips in a dominant kiss, leaving no doubt who is controlling this Mating, or who would be controlling it at any time.

Bella arches into his kiss, and she can feel his amusement that she actually does feel more aroused from his dominant take on her.  She can’t even get upset about it because the more she feels as if he is control, the more aroused and freer she feels.

He gazes down her length below him as he raises his head from her mouth.  His hand comes up and strokes her lips. “You truly are beautiful, a thaisce.  And you are mine, from now until the end of time.  Then whatever comes for us afterwards, we will meet together.  I love you, Isabella Northman.”

 

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The tears that spill from her eyes from the sheer amount of love that floods their Bond are quickly caught by her Mate.  He leaves butterfly kisses as his hands begin the exploration he has been aching to finish since the last time they had been in this bed like this.  By the time they sleep for the night, he will be well on his way to starting his promise to know every inch of her body.

He slowly moves down, licking and nipping, enjoying the taste of his Mate’s skin as she perspires from the pleasure he gives her.  The only thing he has tasted that was more exquisite was her blood.  But this, this he will savor since it will be gone all too soon.  Her blood will only change to reflect more of him and will be there for millennia.

Soon his nose and tongue are between her breasts and he looks up to see his Mate’s head thrown back as he makes his way slowly, torturously, around one breast, his fingers on his other hand tracing the same path just as lightly on her other breast.  He didn’t want it to be jealous.

“Godric, le do thoil!” ( _Godric, please!_ )

He chuckles.  “Ní Oh imní ort mo ghrá, beidh mé a thabhairt duit go léir do mhianta agus ar mian leis a thabhairt duit. Ach tá tú ba chúis dom chun dul níos moille, mo Mhuire. Teach tú a thabhairt suas fear eile-ainm in ár leaba!” ( _Oh don’t worry my love, I will give all your wishes and desires to you.  But you have caused me to go slower, my lady.  Teach you to bring up another man’s name in our bed!)_

The moan that falls from her lips makes his smirk widen then his attention is brought back to his goal as her nipples harden under his fingers.  He blows on them slightly. then with his finger he lightly grazes the surrounding area, ignoring the sounds from his Mate. Amazed by her body, he murmurs, not really to her but out loud, “Do bealaí isteach comhlacht dom, tá tú le cailleach? Nach mór a bheith an freagra. Ach is mian liom a bhriseadh an seal? Níl sé i ndáiríre. Ní riamh.” ( _Your body entrances me, are you an enchantress? That must be the answer.  But do I wish to break the spell?  Not really.  Not ever._ )  And with that his lips descend upon the object of his fascination as his fingers mirror his actions on her other breast.  He suckles on them, encouraged by the movement of her body to try to give him more of her to please.

 

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Godric’s actions finally help turn some of her torment into sweet relief, until the pulls from his mouth seem to shoot straight down to her middle.  Instead of the relief she had anticipated with him actually being forceful as he cups and pulls at her breasts, she instead is still being tortured out of her ever-loving mind by him!  Even as her brain translates the murmurings of his words, they make no sense to her.

As her hips surge up with the rest of her body to give her some sort of relief, he only switches to the other side, loving the Bond that relays to him his effects on her body.  It also allows him to tread that careful line between pleasure and pain.  He never wants her in pain, and the bond allows him to carefully monitor her before his actions on her breasts cause her anything but pleasure.

As she registers his actions, he moves down her body to caress the creamy skin below him.  He tongue draws designs on her stomach as he rests on his knees, letting his hands caress her sides, learning her body and what she likes.  Apparently tracing her belly button sends a thrill through her, as does his hands gripping her hips as he lifts her up to him.

Her own hands find his arms, tracing his biceps as they bunch when he lifts her lower body to his view.  She revels in the thrill of feeling her vampire’s strength as he manipulates her body as he wishes.  The way his hard muscles move so fluidly under her hands is driving her mad.  She traces her fingers up to his wide shoulders that bear the weight of so many, but are here for her.

He pauses for a moment to not only savor the pleasure of her hands on him, but to savor her own pleasure from touching him that he senses through the Bond.  He watches her as her hands meet at his collar bones, then slowly trace their way down, feeling his pecs.  He couldn’t resist it, he flexed them under her hands and laughs in delight at her thrill before she jumps.

He has, by this point, rested her legs on his shoulders when her hands move, and leans back just enough to give her room.  So when she goes to remove her hands from his body, he grabs them. “No, mo ghrá. Is é mo chorp mise chun teagmháil, chun iniúchadh a dhéanamh, a bheith rud ar bith is mian leat. Thug mé díreach tar éis admiring tú mo lámha nuair a bhog mé, agus ag iarraidh a thabhairt duit an sásamh céanna. Ní raibh an gáire ag tú, bhí sé áthas íon go mbraitheann tú saor chun teagmháil a dhéanamh liom mar mé teagmháil a dhéanamh leat, agus taitneamh a bhaint as an ceint. Ní raibh mé geall leat ba mhaith linn a memorize go gach ceann eile ar chorp do na míle bliain seo chugainn? Agus é seo ach an tús …” ( _No, my love.  My body is yours to touch, to explore, to be anything you wish.  I just noticed you admiring my arms when I moved, and wanted to give you the same pleasure.  The laugh wasn’t at you, it was pure joy that you feel free to touch me as I touch you, and enjoy the sensation.   Did I not promise you we would memorize each other’s body for the next thousand years?  And this is only the beginning…_ )

He gives them a kiss, then rests them on his chest.  Her hands then trail over his tattoo.  His eyes close in pleasure and he doesn’t move when she pulls her legs off his shoulders so she can touch him.  He wants, no _needs_ , to feel her take pleasure in his body, just as he will be from hers.

Bella is mesmerized by her Mate’s body.  Now that she is closer, and is exploring his whole body with her hands, she can feel the scars that spell out the training he had, the life he had led before she could have even been a thought in anyone’s head.  But somehow this man, this man holding so still in front of her so she can slowly explore his body though his muscles and skin twitch beneath her touch, claims she was present in his dreams.

Her hands drift down to his stomach, and she feels the ropes of muscle right below his pecs, then notices a slight scar across these.  She looks up from her exploration and watches her Mate’s eyes open, and she again gets lost in trying to define the color of his eyes, which are darker than normal.  While she knows _how_ to describe them, if someone ordered her to actually name a color, she would fail.  They seem to be as fluid as that shade of the trees deep in the forest, changing from a blues to grays and greens that capture her as much as the body in front of her.  More, in fact.  She can touch and feel his body, and she knows that he is telling her the truth that she will need those thousand years to memorize his.  But his eyes, nothing can touch those.  There is no describing the feelings that they give rise to in her.  His eyes show the years that his body will never reveal.  The pain those eyes have seen and felt, the beauty of the years as they pass by, his eyes have seen it all, and yet, they love her.

Godric’s hand raises up and cups his beauty’s face.  He smiles when she looks up, his teeth not perfect, but it only added to his beauty, these small flaws that to her are not.  He whispers, “A ghra.”

He pulls her forward to kiss her, chuckling at her moan, then gently pushes her towards the bed, telling her, “I have not started yet.”

And her stomach clenches and flutters as he soon has her back in the position he had decided was perfect for his first time to see her, to feel her, to taste her.  She is open to his view, the only male to ever see this part of her, the only male that will.  His eyes catch hers, and he growls out, “Mianach.” ( _Mine_.)

 

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With that he moves to lick her, needing to taste her, the smell that she is giving off luring him in.  And her taste!! His eyes close and he takes a second to savor the flavor, the uniqueness that has been blessed to him in granting him her as his Mate.  But the flood of pure desire and the moan she gives at the same time has him moving.

Bella has only given herself orgasms, needing some kind of relief in the mornings when Edward would leave.  But the feel of Godric’s tongue on her is more erotic than she ever dreamed of when she had dreamed of pleasure to get herself off.  And that was one lick!  But when he hears her moan, she is soon not able to think of anything but the gorgeous man between her legs.  She couldn’t move because of him holding her, but she tries, using her heels against his back as he is soon doing something to her clit that she couldn’t describe!

Godric cannot help but smirk at her attempts to get him closer, to move him faster, to do anything more!  He is in control of this lovemaking, and he has no plans to allow her to move him any faster than he wishes to go.  As he had told her, she will never mention another man’s name in their bed, nor anywhere else he takes her.

He soon moves his hand leaving her even more dependent on him holding her up with his other hand on her ass.  That hand periodically flexes, loving how soft it is.  The hand he moved is soon at the entrance of her vagina, and he moans when he feels how tight she is.  It will be pure torture, driving him to madness, trying not to take her as hard as he will wish to.

But the one thing that makes him happy is that his fingers encounter no other barriers.  This he is relieved about, glad his blood had not repaired it, if it had been there.  As he had told her earlier, he is going to try to make sure his Mate feels nothing but pleasure from their joining.  This is just another way to help him.

He is soon sending his pleasure through the Bond as he adds another finger to stretch her out.  He also, noticing the fluttering in her walls around his fingers, is soon nipping at her clit, working that fine line between pleasure and pain, adding another finger when he can no longer feel the discomfort from his two fingers.  When he can feel it inching close to pain, he turns his head and sinks his fangs into her femoral artery, not able to help his moan in reaction to her blood, to her screaming his name as it pushes her off that cliff.

Bella opens her eyes, breathing hard from the orgasm ripped from her by the talents of her Mate.  She stares at him, slightly shocked, and watches as he pulls his three fingers from her, licking them with obvious pleasure.

His eyes are glowing, knowing that while she is not aware of it, she is in fact one of a very few who cums hard enough to squirt.  He, as the primitive male he is under everything, glories in the fact he will have the joy of knowing when he has pleased his Mate to the fullest extent possible.

He moves up her body, his fangs out, and holds himself above her.  He rubs his erection along her clit to collect the moisture from her orgasm, knowing it will help with him when he enters her.  He had, before she had come back to herself, sliced open his palm and liberally anointed his cock with his blood.  It is one of the reasons he is going to rush this portion, so that she never knows he had done that.  He suspects that his little Mate would be upset with him for doing it, when all he wants is to make sure that when he enters her anything that might tear or cause her pain is immediately healed by his blood.  Hopefully she will never be aware of it.

He looks down into her eyes, and asks, “Are you sure, A ghra? It is not too late, and we can stop here.”

Her eyes widen, and she answers, “Are you kidding, I can have you, as mine?  And even as good as that orgasm was, I need… _more_.”

His pleasure shoots through them both as he thrusts into her, “Then more you shall have.”

Bella arches her back, her heels digging into his back as she takes him into her.  He nuzzles her neck and, staying as still as only a vampire can, he takes any pain she feels into himself, and allows her time to adjust to his size.

Bella moans, “Fuck!”

He chuckles.

She opens her eyes to him, amazed by the fact that there is no pain, nothing but the pleasurable sensation of him inside her, deep inside, and how full she feels.  She stares into his eyes, feeling as though they are joined more than physically.

He looks back into her eyes as he becomes aware of the same feelings as well.  They start glowing, and he is shocked to see her own eyes glowing impossibly blue back at him.

However amazing the feeling is, it is soon overridden by their desire, their need for each other.  To finish this Mating of the two…

 

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Without losing eye contact, they start moving together, and neither notice how in synch they truly are.  No, instead both of them are wrapped up in the Mating Bond, and at that second they both realize the truth, the true reason that the Mating Bond will trump anything else.  The Mating Bond doesn’t tie their blood as a Blood Bonding would do…no, this act is Bonding their souls, making them one once again after their separation when Godric had been born over 2,000 years ago.  He had dreamed of her as his soul was trying to show him what it was missing.

And now, it is knitting back together.  Time and space is nothing to their Bond.  They are, now and forever, as one once again.  The physical Mating just ties together the last parts that had been joining since Godric had seen her on her on that cold forest floor.  Mating did not begin with a mutual look and a touch, no it began when the two souls wake up to the other.

What the Cullens had done was a travesty to the very Gods.  They, along with the other Cold Ones, are preventing Soul Mates from finding each other.  The worst is that they do this not only to the vampires, but to every being on the earth that has a soul.  Every Supe, every human.  And this is what they are fighting against.

The two Mates move in sync, their eyes never leaving each other’s, both glowing brighter as their souls not only become one, but unleash all the powers that come with their uniting.   Without thinking, they both strike each other’s necks, finishing the Blood Bond, also making the connection that had been mentioned by the Goddess.  Bella will drink from none but her Mate, and from her brother in times of need.  Godric will find no other blood as satisfying as his Mate’s.  He will need her blood as much as she needs his, only his age preventing him from needing to drink from her as much.

Godric is soon thrusting into his Mate, not noticing the strength he is using, nor does Bella notice how she is taking him.  Her body is built for his just as his is built for hers, and together their bodies are built for the bliss that is rippling through the two.  Their mating is just the beginning of the pleasure they will find in each other.

As they both reach that cliff together, their bodies start glowing, their joining becoming visible as the last of the powers are unleashed on the two.  Both of them release at the burst from the true joining of two souls and from the pure pleasure of becoming one

 

* * *

In another room, Eric is panting; the Mating of his Maker and Sister had pulsed through him from the Bonds he shares with both of them.  He had, for the first time since he was a child, cum in his pants without touching himself or another.

Not ashamed of his reaction, he knows that unless he finds a Mate, that fucking had just become something that would forever leave him searching for the same pleasure he had felt from the two.

He smiles, joy radiating from him as he revels in the emotions, the completeness, he feels from those two.  He leans forward, makes sure the email he had been about to send is still there, and sends it out with the time stamps on it adjusted.

Then he stands up and heads to his room to take a shower, whistling as he goes.

In the room he left, a fiery face appears, and smiles.  Then with a burst of flame it disappears, but a dome envelopes the mansion, leaving it safe for the people inside to rest.  The following day will dawn bright and new…the Mating of two souls is always a reason for the universe to rejoice.

 

* * *

**Final count:  7,644 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	25. Put Dream to Paper

 

# Put Dream to Paper

 

**[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/1383246_644475562239398_1959583091_n.jpg) **

**Pre Edit Count – 3,454 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Made For You_ by OneRepublic

 

* * *

_Previous:_

_In the room he left, a fiery face appears, and smiles.  Then with a burst of flame it disappears, but a dome envelopes the mansion, leaving it safe for the people inside to rest.  The following day will dawn bright and new…the Mating of two souls is always a reason for the universe to rejoice._

_Now:_

 

* * *

Later that evening, before the traditional vampires wake up, Eric is back at the table working feverishly as Paul lays into a sandwich.  He is taking care of his duties back in Area 5, his vampires knowing it is best not to make waves when he is out of the area since, when he comes back, he is quick to discipline as needed.  So they politely send in their requests for his rulings and he is now answering them all, as well as setting up a home for his sister and everything else he thinks she will need.

Paul is freshly showered from his recent practice session with Jasper and Eric.  Those two had wanted to see how proficient he might be in protecting Bella, and the practice session had shown that he did not know everything.  No, the younger descendant showed him how much he didn’t know, then the 1,000 year old vampire showed him how far outclassed he is.

But after Paul’s lessons, Jasper had asked for a spar just to see what his old man can do. Eric had been eager to agree to his request.  What he had heard about Jasper made him want to see what the Major can do since he’s leaving his sister and Maker to this Cold One’s protection.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/1238148_10151890450159802_1473703839_n.jpg)

The blurs that resulted from that spar were unbelievable.  Then Peter came up beside him and watched for a while.  What he said next shocked the hell out of Paul.  “Jasper has no idea how lucky he is that Eric is taking it easy on him, and that he has no weapons in his hands.”

Paul had looked at the Cold One. “I would have thought that you guys were stronger than them.”

Peter shakes his head.  “First off, Eric and, I guess, Godric now, have both had Bella’s blood.  They were blessed to not be killed by it, which any Cold One or Vampire would be now.  It’s mutated that badly.  The benefits are that Eric’s skin is now as tough as ours, and unlike our teeth, that would slide harmlessly off their skin, his fangs can actually penetrate our skin, making it very possible he can set us on fire that way.”

Paul just stares in shock as Peter continues speaking while he watches them. “And then there is the fact that Eric is the premiere warrior.  Anything and everything is a weapon in his hands.  He has destroyed armies by himself, taken down things you have no names for.  And Godric is even stronger than he is.”

Shaking his head Paul asked, “Then why do they want Guardians?  I could see it before when they were literally dead to the world.  But now?  It makes no sense.”

Peter sighs and looks at him.  “Who are you the Guardian for?”

Frowning, Paul answers, “Bella.  But she is going to be turned soon, right?”

Turning his head to watch the sparring, Peter finally answers after a few minutes. “Bella is more precious to them and us than anyone in the world can imagine.  If someone took Bella, the two of them would flip.  Then Jasper and I would be hunting with the two of them.  And you never want the four of us hunting you.  To make it easier, why not assign Guardians?  That way there is always a line of defense.  There is someone who knows what happened, and what was going on around them.  Your job is to keep Bella safe, but if it comes down to a choice between your life and her kidnapping, Godric would rather you live.  Then you can help them start in the right place.  You are also to help Bella out.”

He sighs. “Don’t be upset if Jasper is sent out some times instead of you with Bella.  It makes sense if you think of it.  And there will be times that he will need to be with her.  You will be crucial to her surviving the next century, and I have told Godric that. He will not allow anything to hinder his Mate’s progress.  And that was before this morning, when they completed the Mating.”

Paul glances up and he can make out the odd dome that has prevented anyone from leaving or entering the premises.

Peter chuckles.  “Yeah, that is because of it. It will come down here soon.  Just in time for the cook that Eric has hired to come here to make you food.”

With that, Peter called out to the combatants, “Hey, you guys done?  I thought you were supposed to be teaching the newbie.”

And just like that the blurring around the yard stops, and it is evident by their clothes that Jasper had put up the good fight against Eric, but that the elder had been winning.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/alexander-skarsgard-96.png)

Eric was grinning boyishly, evidently enjoying the spar.

Jasper turned and bowed to him, with Eric bowing back. “Thanks for the lesson.  It was more than interesting.”

Eric just grins and he turns to Peter, “Do you wish to spar?”

Peter takes a step back. “Nope.  I get my ass kicked by Jasper regularly.  Charlotte says it helps keep my ego in line.  I don’t need to spar against you to know my ass will be kicked royally.  But I figure it’s time for the muscle here to learn more about his job as Guardian than watchin’ you two.”

The atmosphere had been joyful all day, and nothing had happened to decrease it. Everyone knew the Mating had happened last night and no one was anticipating the newly Mated couple to come out anytime soon.

However, Jasper had been worried, and asks Eric how they are.

“Sleeping.”

Jasper lifts one eyebrow. “Even Godric?”

As he types away at the desk, Eric nods. “It is…odd.  The only reason I can tell you is because it’s the same feelings I get from Bella.”

Leaning back in his seat, Jasper watches Eric.  “And how about you?  Have you died or slept?”

Looking up briefly as he continues to work, “Not yet.  Godric told me he felt…tired.  But we are not sure if the Mating Bond is affecting him or not.  It is why I sparred with you today, to see if I _can_ get tired.  So far, I have not needed anything but a larger amount of blood.  Not to a newborn’s standard, but more than usual.”

Jasper hums as he tries to piece together the information as Eric works.   After a few minutes, he asks, “Are you still thirsty as though you need something more?”

Eric lifts an eyebrow as he looks over at him.

Taking a deep breath, the Cold One leans forward.  “From what I hear, and you can correct me on this, is that Bella needs blood from you and Godric to survive, even after she is turned.  And that you have some increased abilities because of your Goddess taking both of your DNA’s and mixing them, right?”

Eric nods, leaning back in his seat.

“Well, you know the reason is because she has mutated the venom in her blood, and her blood actually poisons any of your kind or mine now who drink it.  Right?”

Sitting up, Eric asks, “What?  This means neither Godric nor I can share blood with any but her?”

“No, that is NOT what it means. “

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/9691_10151890450339802_320597806_n.jpg)

Peter comes into the room and flops into one of the seats.  And because he is who he is, and enjoys showing off to Jasper, he signs into the computer and sits there playing solitaire just because he is allowed to get into the system and Jasper isn’t yet.

Eric sighs.  He looks to Jasper.  “Does this happen all the time?”

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/jackson-rathbone-17.jpg)

Nodding, Jasper frowns to Peter.  “I’m sorry.  I have no idea where Char is, she normally keeps him in line.  It seems to be her talent.”

Peter mocks Jasper, then tells Eric, “When Godric rises, well let me correct that, when he and Bella finally surface, they will be able to tell you more.  It has to do with their Mating.  I do know that Godric will only feed to be able to give it to Bella.  He will find blood stale and unappetizing.  But he will drink it to be able to feed his Mate.  And once she feeds from him, he will drink from her.  I have no idea how this works, but somehow it does…”

Eric thinks about it.  “He will no doubt gorge himself on blood then she will drink it from him, and he will get the small amount he needs back from her.  But can he share his blood?”

Peter frowns at him, then Jasper nods. “Because he is head of the Bloodline.”

Eric nods to them.  “It is critical.  I understand Bella’s blood and all, but if Godric cannot share his blood, then there can be no new members to the Bloodline.  And that is not a feasible option.  To not grow will eventually make us weak, and once that happens, the wolves will be gathering at the walls, men.”

Peter’s face shows his understanding.  He thinks about what he knows, and finally tells Eric, “As far as my Knower is telling me, it is crucial that only you or Godric, or someone that you have turned after the Blessing, drink her blood.  Even Pam cannot have it.  It will have to be someone that you turn from now on forward.  But that information tells me that you _can_ give blood.  Bella cannot even turn anyone.  Ever.”

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/chair.png)

Eric leans forward and turns that information over in his head.  He takes in Jasper’s question and it all comes together.  “Godric needs Bella’s blood because of the Mating.  He needs that extra something in her blood.  But nowhere did anyone tell us that Godric had to drink solely from her.  So he can last without that something special in her blood.  And nowhere has anyone mentioned I need to drink from her.  Her from me, yes, but not me from her.  I suspect that whatever is special to Bella in our blood is not what makes hers poison, but that we are the answer to her poison.”

Both of the vampires nod at him as they put it together.  “That sounds about right.  You will need to talk to Godric about it, but I think that is so.  As you said, your Goddess would have mentioned if you had to have Bella’s blood.  But then, she also never mentioned that Bella’s blood would be poison to everyone else.”

They looked at each other, but before they could get more in depth, they all felt a shiver of power as the dome of whatever it had been came down. Peter glanced up and then told Eric, “Your new cook should be here.”

And then the doorbell rang.

Eric shakes his head.  “Do you ever get tired of not being wrong?”

Peter’s eyes go dark.  “I was once.  And it led to this mess with Bella.”

And with that he is gone from the room.  Eric shakes his head as he leaves.

Jasper watches them, his mind busy processing all this new information as he tries to find hidden meanings, knowing how much it matters to their group.

 

* * *

Godric slowly wakes, an amazing sensation he has not truly felt in thousands of years. He also becomes quickly aware of the Bond flowing between himself and his Mate.  It flows easily between the two of them, and is stronger than anything he knew of.  He can sense everything now – how she feels physically, and emotionally, too. The only thing he can’t do is read her mind.  But then, the day is still early.

Right now, as he slowly wakes up, he relishes knowing how she feels physically, and he knows that if there is any pain, he will even be able to tell exactly where it is, unlike before when he only knew that she was in pain.

He should have anticipated this;  he could actually feel his blood healing her after the first two times of the blood exchange, but this?  This is totally unexpected.

But then his mind suddenly catches up with the pleasure of his body and he gasps as his beloved’s lips cover the head of his cock and his eyes fly open.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/atongue.png)

She grins at his reaction, and licks down his cock, then comes back up to suck on the head. Her eyes are shining as she watches for his eyes to meet hers.  She lets him pop out of her mouth as she greets him.  “Morning, Godric.”

His mouth opens, but only a gasp comes out as her mouth descends upon him again.  How the hell is he supposed to talk with her doing that?

He grabs her and pulls her up to him where he quickly kisses her.  He had meant to tell her ‘good morning’, but it seems his little Mate is hungry for him as she uses his movements to slide his cock in between her lower lips.  Then just as he lets her go to breathe, she moves so that he slides easily into her.

His eyes meet hers, and he finally can tell her, “A very good morning to you, a thaisce.”  Then as she moves on him, his eyes fall to half-mast as he growls, “A very, very good morning to you, my love.” His hands fall to her hips to help her ride him.

Bella tips her head back in obvious pleasure as she feels their connection surge and senses his pleasure as she rides him.  His hands are on her hips, not doing a thing but helping her keep her rhythm. It is obvious that Godric is allowing her to control this Mating, but right now, all Bella can concentrate on is how full she feels with him deep inside her, how good it feels as she rolls her hips.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/girl-on-top-2.png)

Leaning up, Godric catches her nipple with his teeth and lightly bites down, feeling the answering reaction from within her body.  He grins, then lets go to catch the other nipple which he suckles on as he moves with her body.  His hips are soon thrusting faster as he can feel them both coming closer.

Bella uses her muscles to grip her Mate, then she looks down at him and sends him all her love.  Her arms reach around him as his face comes up to gaze adoringly at her.  She can feel him sending her love as he rolls his hips up into her, the two of them fitting together as their bodies are made for each other.

She watches him as he gets closer to that cliff as she rides them both to that edge, never once hesitating in her movements.  Neither one closes their eyes as they watch the other in that moment, nothing existing but the two of them.

Then, strong and quick as a lightning strike, Godric surges up into her as Bella slams down and they come together, feeling that moment as their souls connect again in a way that takes both of their breaths away.

As Bella blinks, she realizes that Godric is holding her to him, but they are both laying down with her on top of him and him still inside of her.

She looks up into his eyes, and she grins ruefully.  “I was looking forward to making you beg for me.”

Godric chuckles as his hand slides up and down her back.  “A thaisce, you can make me beg with a look.  No need to worry about that, a ghra.”  He kisses her softly, reverently.

She is everything to him, and he can feel the same from her.  They are truly Mated, truly one, and nothing can ever separate them, not time, not space.  Their souls are once more combined.

Holding her, he slowly remembers the revelations that they had last night.  “Life will be interesting.”

Thinking over the same thoughts, she asks him, “Until I am changed, can you at least drink from me?”

He looks down, frowning.  “I don’t want you for a meal, a ghra.  You are much more than that.”

A hand comes out and traces his features.  “I know that, Godric.  But until I am changed, you might as well as have some pleasure feeding.  And it won’t be like you won’t be feeding me too.”

He sighs as he angles his head to stare down at her face, and replies,  “I don’t need much.”

“Then it won’t hurt for you to take it from me,”  Bella quickly answers.

Sighing, he smiles.  “I am not going to win this, am I?”

“Nope.”

He chuckles, then leans forward, kissing her. He asks her, “Shower?”

She giggles. “Shower, or more play time?”

Using his power of flight he quickly lifts them off the bed and soon has them in the shower, his body blocking the shower spray as he turns the shower on with one hand, the other holding his tiny Mate to his body.

As she shrieks in laughter, he moves her against the wall, his mouth busy at her neck. “Mmmm…nothing better than you in the morning.”  His fangs are down as he nuzzles her neck, then he thrusts, still inside of her.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/misty-shower.jpg)

Her head falls back as he does. “Oh my God!”

He looks up and corrects her with an innocent look. “Ric.  God-ric.” And then he thrusts again, both of them moaning through the contact.

Bella gasps,  “Already?”

He chuckles as he moves inside of her. “The beauty of vampirism.  Any time you want me, I will be ready for you, a ghra.   Always.”

Her legs tightening around his hips, she groans, “We may never surface.”

He laughs as he pushes into her faster, feeling her need before she even mentions it, his body so in tune with hers.  He murmurs to her, “Never if you wish it so.  Mo ghrá, a bhraitheann tú chomh maith fillte timpeall orm. Tá ar neamh anseo i do armas, taobh istigh de tú, d’anam timpeall mianach.” ( _My love, do you feel so good wrapped around me.  Heaven is here in your arms, inside of you, your soul around mine.)_

Sensitive from their last Mating, Bella’s walls are soon fluttering around his cock, and Godric moans.  The feeling of being buried inside her wet silky heat is unbelievable.  He never knew it could feel this good, and to discover that each time seems to be getting better for them, he has no idea how they will take it.  He realizes then that he will turn her because her body won’t be able to stand up to their love making.

He can feel her need, and when she had mentioned never surfacing, he understood.  It will take much for them to be able to separate from each other.  And even then, they will need to be in constant physical contact.  He needs to be close, and if he can’t be buried inside of her like he prefers, then he will at least need to have her there beside him.

As they both are ready to orgasm, they intuitively know what is needed this time to tip them over.  With a look, they both bite each other.

The pure feelings of pleasure and joy, of ecstasy from taking in the other’s very life force, and of knowing that your blood is entering their body to nourish them vaults each past what an unmated couple would call an orgasm.  For them, this was nothing short of heaven.  There is no word to truly explain how they feel, for their souls are touching each other, their bodies are becoming one as the gods themselves made them to be.

However, the meeting in that place reserved for just the two of them cannot be maintained for long, and they come back to earth once more.

Breathing hard, Bella barely notices that her bite mark is gone as her limp body rests in Godric’s arms.

Godric comes back to himself as he licks her neck, then he nuzzles it.  He holds her as he smirks in pure masculine pride at having made his Mate legless.

He murmurs, “One of these times, I will be drinking you down there as you erupt around my mouth, and I will finally taste you as only I will be able to.”

Bella blushes and he laughs.  He steps back into the spray, and holding her to him as he slips out, he grabs the shampoo with one hand, keeping the other around her. “Unfortunately, as much as I wish I could do this now, I think we have some people waiting for us, and you, you are still human.  I need to feed you if you wish to feed me.”

A moan escapes her lips, and he grins.  The grin never fails as he washes her, making sure that every part of her is clean while enjoying the fact he can still smell his scent in and on her.  He can also smell her on and in him, and knows that no sane person would ever doubt that they belong completely to each other.

No, no one will ever be able to take his Bella away, and as a newly fully-Mated vampire male, he basks in this knowledge.  As much as he would like this honeymoon period to last, he knows that there are just too many issues coming at them.  But they have each other now, and that is all they need.

 

* * *

**Final count, 3,667 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	26. If I Had My Way

#  If I Had My Way

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/road2.jpg)

Pre Edit Count – 4,620 Words

 _Song I listened to for this chapter: My First Kiss (Feat. Ke$ha)_ by 3Oh!3

 

* * *

_Previous:_

_No, no one will ever be able to take his Bella away, and as a newly fully-Mated vampire male, he basks in this knowledge.  As much as he would like this honeymoon period to last, he knows that there are just too many issues coming at them.  But they have each other now, and that is all they need._

_Now:_

 

* * *

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/agodricallanbella.png)

Godric and Bella eventually surface later that afternoon, and she hides her face in his shoulder when Peter stands up and actually applauds when they walk into the room, and especially when she can see that even Andrew is up and grinning at them for coming in so much later than him.  Even with the shower they took, they smelled enough of each other that there is no doubt that they are Mated, Bonded and had sex recently.

Then Charlotte slaps him upside the head. “And you wonder why she likes Jasper more than us.” She gives him a nasty look.  She had been looking forward to finally knowing another female, and of course _Peter_ is the one who is ruining it.  She shakes her head.  It seems that the fates want her to be only with her Mate.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/achar.png)

He looks slightly crestfallen. “But, not only are they fully Mated, but she is truly his Mate in every way.  They both needed this!” He can feel Charlotte’s disappointment, and he knows that Bella will be all she wishes her to be, just not yet.  Bella needs to be alone for a little while longer.

Eric is sitting there with a huge grin on his face.  He does lean forward, figuring that since Peter opened the floor for his syrra to be embarrassed, he might as well take advantage of it. “I just have one request of you, Master.” He watches Bella as he requests this favor.

Godric has his arm around his Mate, kissing her head as he raises his eyebrow at his son.  He notices it looks as though Eric had showered recently.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/allan-hyde-41.jpg)

Eric’s grin actually gets bigger, and he tells them, “Teach Bella how to block the Bond.  I don’t mind it right now, but later when we are parted, it might be a little too much for those fans if I suddenly orgasm in front of them for no obvious reason.” He focuses his twinkling eyes on Bella, enjoying the chance to rib his syrra.   What brother wouldn’t enjoy doing that?

Bella closes her eyes as she snuggles into Godric, and she moans then whines to her Mate, “Just kill me now.  Please.”

The room erupts in laughter.  Godric shakes his head. “No.  Not yet.  I am enjoying you far too much as you are for me to change you now.” His grin is full of the ideas he has in mind of things to do with her while she is human.  When she is a vampire, he has ideas on that too.

She bangs her head against his side, her face feeling as if it is on fire and the only relief is his body.

Andrew smirks as he tells Eric, “See, this is why I will be her favorite sibling.  I won’t pick on her.”  He feels so much better not having to wear suits anymore.  Godric had snorted at the idea of dressing up every day.  He had told Andrew he was more than welcome to do so, but that he will only dress up for the club and that is it.  Unless, of course, his Mate wishes otherwise, of course, to which he had received a snort of derision.

Eric rolls his eyes as he elbows Andrew in the ribs.  “You say that now, but I suspect it won’t take too long before you’re picking on her as much as you pick on me.”  Eric has no doubt that Andrew will be fond of their sister by blood, but Eric has no problems rubbing it in Andrew’s face that she is also Eric’s sister by blood in every way.  Their Maker will be hers, and for Eric, that just means yet another Bond to her.

Everyone laughs at the two.  If nothing else, Jasper has noticed that the two of them act like brothers, and seem to take a great interest in trying to one-up each other.  Eric right now seems to have the edge, but Jasper has a sneaking suspicion that Andrew is actually in the lead because Eric is protesting about how much he is ahead…

Godric sits in his chair and draws Bella onto his lap.  For now, and for a long while to come, this will be her place.  Their need to be with each other is like an itch.  A couple thousand years from now might be when he allows her to have her own seat.  And even then, she will still be mostly on his lap…

Eric groans as he feels the lust from both of them ramp up. “The sooner you teach her how to block, the better.”  As he says it, he sends nothing but love to them both, showing how pleased he is to have them both so happy.

Godric just smirks. “And now you know how I felt when you were just turned, Eric.  It’s about time you had a shot of the never-ending lust.  She _is_ your sister.” His eyes glint with a mischief that Andrew and Eric have not seen for centuries.  They both grin just a little more, delighted that their Maker is more like his old self that only they knew.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/jackson-rathbone-4.jpg)

Jasper can’t stop grinning at them.  He can feel Bella and her mortification at their teasing, but hidden in there is her enjoyment in being part of the group.  He too feels the same, the ability to relax, knowing that it is only teasing.  This grouping will be a part of each other’s lives for a very long time to come.  He is just staring into space as he enjoys this time and the emotions which are very heady to his empathetic senses.

But soon, too soon for his liking to be truthful, he is pulled from that state when Godric calls his attention.  “Jasper, did they get you into the computer system yet?”

He shakes his head, “No sir.” He glares at Peter and the emotions he emits.  Like Eric and Andrew, he and Peter are close and they often communicate with emotions.

Godric comments with a glance at Eric, “But let me guess, you got Peter and Charlotte in the system.” He lifts an eyebrow at his Eric, wondering if he is still jealous of Jasper and Bella.

Eric’s face turns mischievous.  “And Bella.” He knows what his Maker is thinking, but it is more a way to pick on Jasper.  And to be honest he had way too much fun getting Bella in the system when she wasn’t even in the room.  It was a true test of his abilities, and he couldn’t help but be egged on by Peter and Andrew as they heckled him about it.

Godric cocks his head to the side, not noticing the way his hands are caressing her arm. “How did you get Bella in the system?” He had built the system to be hard to crack.  And even though Eric had helped him build the system, he is a little alarmed that Eric had managed to break through it.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/2012-11-19_0651.jpg)

“I have my ways.”

Bella snorts.  “He did it when we were looking at the clubs.” She can feel the irritation from her Mate, and let him in on the truth.  She had heard the boys picking on Eric, and when he had nudged her within their Bond, she had willingly helped him get one over them.

Eric shakes his head. “Not even a little bit of fun, syrra?” He is teasing her, knowing she had helped with him pulling one over the others.  She had done what was needed, then later when she was with Godric, and Andrew and Peter were commenting that he couldn’t do it, he pulled it over their heads.  Now if she hadn’t given up the game, he would have had a point.

Her eyebrow lifts, “As much as I got when I came in.” And with that, she smirks at him, telling him, “Point.”

The rest of the group, including Paul as he brings in a meal for Bella, grins.  They love watching the banter between the two siblings, and how Bella usually wins the exchanges.  Maybe not right at first, but Bella has really started to do the whole ‘revenge is better cold’ thing to Eric.  And he loves it.

Godric looks at the food in front of her, then takes the fork and, getting a bite of the chicken and rice, starts to feed her. The pleasure he feels in doing this for his Mate vibrates through their bond, and even Eric shivers.

Bella just smiles at him as she eats.  Godric nods to Eric, and he soon has Jasper in the system, explaining, “This is the main system.  If you are here, there is nowhere your codes won’t work.  I figure everyone here in this room deserves the highest level, especially since you are all Guardians.” He makes notations in the system to ensure that they can access it from anywhere.  The security levels in the system will terminate any connections it feels is unsafe, which is annoying but necessary.

As he finishes with that, Eric straightens up. “As Guardians, you will be privy to a lot of information.  Even information that is not known to the general population of our government.  Many kings and queens do not know this.” In fact, the only reason Godric and he knows is because of their age.

Godric chuckles. “The term King and Queen is just for the glorified bitches like Sophie Anne, Freyda and Felipe.  We are all actually placeholders, no more than Dukes.  There is one over us all, and when he says to do something, we all do it.  His name is Afanasi Kaschei.” His eyes glow momentarily remembering his own meeting with the infamous Kaschei.

“If or when he calls, you will immediately drop everything and do as he says.”  He looks at Eric and says no more.  The information about him needs to go no farther.  They will all learn what they need to when they need to, and he and Eric will tell Bella more later.

Registering the look, Eric informs them more of their duties. “You will also be responsible for our security.  One of you will always accompany us when we leave the nest.  But, you will be heads of the same security and are charged with making sure everything runs smoothly.  You will be helping to run the state with Bella and Godric. We will be using you as spymasters, and in other positions as needed.  Andrew here will likely be our media liaison since he is already accustomed to dealing with sensitive information and has a unique view of being a monarch.  Most Kings do not step aside, instead they are served the True Death when the monarchy is overthrown. We will fit you guys in as your expertise becomes more apparent and we can see where you would best fit.”

Bella sighs and asks, “But what happens when we take Louisiana?” She is full, and shakes her head minutely at her Mate when he tries to feed her more.  She is interested in their plans for when they add the other state.

Godric grins as he pushes the plate away, feeling satisfied that he has cared for his Mate.  “That will be Eric’s headache.  The first move will be to confirm that we are allied.  But you are my Queen.  I will not marry another.”

He looks over at Eric.  He will make Eric the King of the Louisiana, but in reality, the two states will be ruled by the three of them.  Not that Eric needs help, but Godric wants everyone to know that there is no difference who you attack, they are all the same.  In fact… some thoughts start going through his head for an alliance against those who may take it into their heads to attack…

Eric groans, “Do you know how much debt my state has besides my area?” His head drops into his hands as he remembers Rasul telling him the expenses the Queen racked up foolishly redoing her palace and the other idiotic things she has done.

Laughing at him, Bella teases him, “Well I guess you will actually have to work instead of larking all around the country on a whim, huh?” She pushes him, her eyes laughing at him as the rest of the room laughs.

He growls at her playfully, as he leans forward to access the records. “Shit.  I know that the state is in bad straights.  The Authority had to step in to stop her from taxing us any higher.  But there is no record of this.  I have no idea what needs to be done.” He is staring at the records that should be available as one of the Sheriffs, but he cannot find a one.  They’re not in the Authority records nor are they in the state system.  He growls as he realizes how much work is needed to get the state back to the levels where it should be.

Watching his hands run through his short hair, Peter asks, “But that’s what we’re goin’ to be doing, right?  Overthrowing her, and getting the state in shape?” He cocks his head at Andrew who shakes his head.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/james-james-mcavoy-10189972-2560-1707.jpg)

Andrew tells them, “His Queen is not someone who should be in charge of a state.  She has no idea how to rule.  She’s more caught up in the benefits of the position than with taking care of it.  She reminds me of a certain French King and Queen.” He just knows that he will still need to deal with the bitch, but he is glad Godric will be making the decisions.  He had forced himself to handle the bitch with kid gloves because of his brother being under her.

Godric agrees with Andrews statement. “Here is the problem.  The bitch is a money whore.  She throws money at problems until there is none.  But the problem is that she’s hemorrhaging the state to do so.  With the economy as bad as it is, there is just not enough tourism to fill the coffers.  And I have a feeling that it will go from bad to worse when the Revelation comes about.  The smarter vamps are doing what Eric is doing, planning to make money off of the novelty.  She, on other hand, will wine and dine the humans.”

Leaning back in his seat, one leg stretched out farther than the other, Eric tells them, “She just spent a couple million updating her residence.  That wouldn’t be bad, but it wasn’t on security or anything important.  It was wasted on making it seem even more opulent.  And most of the money was  wasted on something she calls the sun room.”

Jasper listens to it all, and he finally comments, “Let her.  Eric, you make money hand over fist, and if you put some aside to be for your ‘rainy day’ fund, and then use that to help the state, no one will say anything.  In fact, it will help your position.  Match what you send to the bitch.  Show that she could have done the same when you take power.  One more nail in her coffin.” If Eric can turn around the state with just the money from his revenue, it will prove how inept the child queen is.

They all nod.  Then Eric looks up at Bella. “How is my club coming?”

Sighing, she clicks on the board. “Here is what I have so far…”

The rest of the day is spent talking about the clubs, and the decor for them, but running in the backs of their minds is what all will be needed to be done to remove the Bitch Queen and make Eric a King once more.

 

* * *

Before the sun sets the following night, Godric escorts his Mate to his car.  He kisses her knuckles as he hands her into the car.

The dress she is wearing had her brother stop and stare earlier when she had made her way up to the main floor.  The rest of the nest had been spread out looking at things, watching TV and so on.   He had waggled his brows and told her, “Perfect color on you syrra.”

Bella had grinned at him, and then went over to Char to finish the discussion they had started earlier in the day about the house, thus discreetly allowing Godric to finish up with Paul and Jasper.  Bella and Char had found that they share the same tastes in furnishings, and Char had spent time pulling together some rooms she thought Bella might like, as well as working on rooms for the rest of the nest.  Bella was adamant that she wanted them all here in the house.  She wanted family, and they were all more than willing to give into her.

As it was, she had been excited since earlier this afternoon when Godric had talked to her.

After they had reconvened to discuss the clubs, Godric had grinned and told her, “I made some changes, a ghra.  I would like you to accompany me to the club tonight so I can show you.” He had planned to make an evening of it as a date for his love.

She had agreed, and when she left to get ready, she had walked into their room and found this dress on the bed waiting for her.  It had a lace filigree coming from the sweetheart neckline to her collar bone.  The lace was black, but the rest of the dress was bright red. It was a simple design, flowing down to her waist and then flaring out from there to her knees.  She had paired it with some garters she had bought the other night and a pair of heels with lace on the top.  A simple white gold bracelet finished the look along with letting her hair fall loose around her shoulders.

The blood from their bond had made her skin even clearer, so she only wore mascara.  Her lips looked as though she already had lipstick on.  She had grinned to herself, “Vampire blood does a body good!”

Nothing Alice had ever done had made her look this good.  Every bit of this is all due to Godric’s love and blood.

When she had walked into the living room dressed for the evening, only the fact that Peter had wisecracked and gotten slapped upside the head had made her able to stand.  Godric was wearing a black shirt with a black jacket over it with dark jeans, and had been leaning against a pillar in the living room with his brows furrowed as he argued with Eric over something.  He had taken her breath away.

The simple act of walking into the room had drawn all eyes to her, and in the blink of an eye, Godric is in front of her.  He smiles, “A ghra.  Beautiful is too simple to call you.”

After that had been Eric’s teasing, but he comes up and hugs her as he whispers in her ear to have fun.  He grins down at her, and with that he pushes them gently out the door telling them to have fun and that Godric’s car is waiting for them.

Bella sits in the car for a second before Godric is beside her, and holds her hand and kisses it, then switches his hold on her hand so that her hand was under his as he shifts gears.  Bella understands completely, she doesn’t want to let go of his hand either.

He quickly makes his way to downtown since he had made reservations at the Five Sixty by Wolfgang Puck restaurant.  But the real reason why he is taking her there?  To watch the sunset with her.  It is one of the more romantic places to do so.

He could care less about the food or how many stars it rated.  The only thing he wanted was to watch his first sunset with his Mate.

Watching the time, he quickly has them downtown, and is out of his vehicle and at her side escorting her out.  He tosses the keys to the valet, his eyes never leaving his Mate.

Bella laughs as she feels how anxious he is. “Godric?”

He leads her to the elevator and once inside, hits the button, then takes her in his arms and kisses her. Looking down at her, he tells her softly, “I wanted to take you out, to dinner and a show.  The dinner is the key, since it will be giving us the show.  One I hear is wondrous to watch.”

Bella shakes her head at him.  When the elevators open and she sees the name Wolfgang Puck, she tells him, “You don’t have to impress me, God-“

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/five_sixty_dallas_46.jpg)

He silences her with a finger and looking at the amused lady at the hostess podium, he tells her, “Reservation for Nervii.”

The lady smiles and touches a button for their waiter to take them to their table.  “We have been waiting for your arrival.  The table you requested is ready for you, sir.”

And with that, Bella has no time to say anything, but she can feel the mirth in her Mate and the…excitement?

Soon they arrive at their place and Godric seats his Mate.  He tells the waiter, “A Moscato for my companion, and I will take a Royal Blend.”

The waiter does not even blink, just nods and is quickly gone.  The restaurant is one of the few that have specially treated anti-UV ray windows.  Though most vampires who could be awake would not chance it, once in a while one might choose to visit.

Godric had never bothered before.  He had seen no need to see a sun set since his human days.  But to share the first time of seeing it as a vampire, knowing that it will never harm him again?  That experience he wanted to share with his Mate.  He plans to have them watch the sun rise one morning together, as well.

Bella is just watching him, and when the waiter returns, she gives her order and then continues to watch him as he stares outside in awe.  Finally she asks, “They don’t seem too surprised to have a vampire here at this time.”

He glances at her, takes her hand and bestows a kiss to her wrist, and tell her, “They have just redecorated and have some suites in the building below for vampires who can wake early and like to walk on the wild side to see the sun again.  But they are only for those as old as Eric, no younger can be awake in time to see anything.  I never bothered – why look at something you cannot have?  But now that I can, I wanted to see my first sunset in over 2,000 years with my Mate.”

Her eyes soften.  She glances outside, and noting the light clouds that would make for a beautiful sunset, she softly comments to him, “You picked a beautiful day to see it.”

He cocks his head to the side, then tells her, “I didn’t care for the view as much as I wanted to commemorate our Mating with a memorable night.  Nothing could top that in my mind.” He grins at her, “Though even with all our connections, this took a day.  But still…”

She smiles at him.  “There is no need to do this; I don’t think I could forget last night nor this morning.” No, she and Godric had celebrated their Mating all last night and this morning.  In fact she is not shocked it had taken them a day to be able to do that.  As she had teased Godric, they had a lot of repressed sexual desire to work out.  He had promptly grinned and kissed her senseless.

He smiles at her. “Is it not tradition to feast after a marriage?  And is this not more than any piece of paper?” He just kisses her hand that he has not relinquished since he had held it walking into the restaurant.

She looks down, and sends her love to him through the Bond.  She hears his light gasp and feels the enveloping love flow back from him.  He lifts her face up to his and smiles at her. “You have my love, my heart, soul and body.  Everything I am, you now own.  And I am glad of this.  You being here has given me a much needed burst of new in my life.”

Bella frowns and she asks, “And what about when you’re bored again?”

He kisses her with a slight smile still gracing his lips. “I don’t think it can happen.  I was weary.  I had felt for most of my life as though I was searching for more, never knowing that the “more” that I wanted was many, many years away.  Now that I have you, there is nothing I won’t do to keep you.  I am complete now.  Everything I ever wished for is here, and now I get to show you this life, this world.  I will never leave as long as you are here.  If something happens and you are no longer here, I will get revenge for you, a ghra, then join you in the next phase of our life.  I love you is so very little to say that will express how I feel.” He is watching her eyes, seeing the lighter hues and the green strands in them, reminders of her new family.

With tears in her eyes, Bella searches his face.  She tells him, “At one point, I would have been horrified at you even mentioning not being a part of this world.  But now, after last night, I understand in a that someone who doesn’t have the connection that we have wouldn’t.  I do love you, as you well know, and I know how much you love me.”

“More each and every minute, every second of this new brave world.”

She smiles, then looks up as her meal is placed in front of her.  Before she could do anything, Godric moves ever closer and asks, “May I?”

She grins, and he slowly feeds her dinner as they watch each other.  He teases her a couple of times, telling her if she enjoys the fish, he will make her one as he would have made for her if they had been human together.

And he can’t help but laugh when she raises an eyebrow and states, “By catching it, cleaning it and then handing it to me to cook?  No thanks.  I have learned all I ever wanted to about cooking fish.  Charlie loved to fish.”  And it is said with no feeling, just a fact in her life now.

Godric treated it as it is offered, a tease.  “Actually, I am doing what I wanted to do, a thaisce.  I am courting you.”

At that point, the dessert of a chocolate mousse appears, and he glances outside, judging by the light and the feeling in his body how close sunset is.  With that in mind, he takes the spoon, and getting some of the mousse on it, he offers it to her.

She takes the offering, then closes her eyes as the chocolate seems to melt in her mouth.  She licks her lips then opening her eyes, she smiles at Godric’s face.

He swallows, then asks, “If I take this home, will you then eat it when I can take care of the expression on your face as it deserves?”

Bella leans forward, and murmurs into his ear, “If we take this home, I may just use you as the plate.”

Godric freezes as he brings himself under control.  Then clearing his throat, he signals for the waiter.  His eyes never leaving his Mate’s, he asks for them to box up the dessert, and to add an extra one for them when they leave.

Bella can’t help the sultry laugh that explodes from her at the emotions and the look in Godric’s eyes.

He looks outside, then his eyes soften.  He turns their chairs to watch the show, as he calls it, outside the building.

He is sitting slightly behind her, and wraps his arms around her, resting his chin on her shoulder.  He softly whispers, “The setting of the sun was always wondrous to me.  The rising is also, but the setting of the sun behind the trees, as the mist comes up through the ground signaling another ending of the day, was amazing to me.  The fires would be stoked up, and the tribe would gather for dinner together.  We would sit around the fire; there was laughter and conversation open for others to enjoy.  It was a time of sharing.  I could look at my tribe and see that another day had ended with me taking care of them in the way they deserve, and know that I had done my duty for them.”

Bella nestles in his arms and imagines the life he led as a human.

His voice softly continues, “I never cared for much company by the fireside.  Our tribe didn’t believe in monogamy, and many a night, the fires would be surrounded by the sounds of pleasure taken and given by the couples or more around them.  We believed that pleasure was a gift from the gods themselves.”  He pauses then tells her, “But what we had last night and this morning was more than any sex I have had since I started.  You blow me away, a thaisce.  You truly are my treasure.”

She leans back into him, sighing as their Bond seems to vibrate between the two of them as they watch the sun slowly lower itself into the horizon, painting the sky with vivid colors.

Bella had never really watched the sun set, never having had the free time to just be still and gaze at it, and she wonders how many miracles she has missed because she had been too busy.  But watching the sun paint the sky in so many colors as it sets amazes her, especially when she realizes that she may have missed this opportunity if it hadn’t been for the thing that made her so different.  Whatever it was, it allows her Mate and her brother to watch the sun set, too, because she can share this gift with them.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/dallas-at-sunset.jpg)

Godric and Bella watch with reverence as the sun descends to its fiery death.  Then both are quiet as the skyline starts to light up.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/dallas-lights-at-sunset.jpg)

Without Bella knowing, Godric pays for their dinner, his eyes never leaving his Mates after the sun had gone to bed; he enjoys watching her face as she watches the city lit up for the night time.  When everything has morphed into nightlife, she muses, “I wonder how many sunsets I missed because I was too busy?”

He kisses her temple.  “In a way, I am glad I will be with you to watch the sunset for the rest of our lives.  It will be something we can do that is ours.”  Then he chuckles. “In fact, this makes me happier.  Our window from our office looks out towards the west, so we will be able to watch it when we’re at work.”

She laughs.  “Romantic.”

He stands, then helps her stand up.  He kisses her temple again, then says, “Always with you.  No one I know deserves it more than you.”

With that, he takes the canvas bag the waiter has for their dessert, nodding as the waiter tells them that the chef had packed dry ice around the dessert and that it should last until morning before refrigeration is needed.

He escorted her out, and when they are in the elevator, she asks, “Where to now?”

He grins. “A walk to our club.  It’s not even close to being finished, but I wanted to walk you through it, so you can see what I’m imagining.  I hope you will find it pleasing.  I just took your ideas and tweaked them slightly.”

She shakes her head. “As I told Eric, I am only giving you ideas.  They are your clubs.  I’m just helping out.”

He pulls her close. “It is _club_.  Eric’s are his own production, and I am happy he will have a place that is more to the level he should be entertaining as.  But, as you have said, he is young.  A frat man?”

Bella laughs as they walk off the elevator. “Frat boy. College age men often spend their times drinking and basically having as much sex as they can as they try to beat the rules.”

Godric nods. “That is good.  Men need something that will allow them to be free.  That age is one that the elders told us is good for Chiefs.  We are able to lead by example.  Though I was the youngest, they told me I had an older soul.”

Laughing as he deposits the dessert in his car, they then make their way outside, his arm wrapped around her waist as he directs her to the Fountain Place.  He had looked up routes to their club, and decided that he would walk her through the landmark, then he will fly them to the club.

Once they make their way through the streets, he takes her hand as they slowly walk around.  The noise is loud, but the delight he feels from her watching and taking in the sights makes it more than worth it.  He smiles as they lazily make their way through the park, watching as the fountains erupt, then calm to the point that they can hear the falls further up.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/fountain6.jpg)

The fountains had intrigued him when he had seen them built.  He has enjoyed many examples of humanity’s imagination when something like this is built solely for the beauty of being able to do so.  He wonders if Bella would enjoy traveling later so they can see other marvels of technology.

They soon make their way out, and he lifts her in a bridal hold as he takes to the air.  Her delighted laughter is soon ringing through their bond as he flies them to McKinney Street.  At the end of the street, is a building encased in tarps and such, hiding it from public view.  Godric descends outside of it, but lands inside the barrier.  He sets his Mate on her feet.

Bella looks up and can see all the construction.  “I thought you were remodeling an existing place.”

He grins down at her. “That was the plan, but Alcide’s project manager had emailed me saying that the building was so run down, it would be easier to rip it apart and start over.  After talking it over with Alcide over emails, he told me that it would be built much faster this way.  I approved it, thinking it would be better.”

He pulls her along with him, making sure she doesn’t trip as he escorts her towards the building.  When they get closer, he frowns, then pulls her forward, wraps an arm securely around her waist to hold her close to him, and glides them inside.  He didn’t want to take a chance with her or with those shoes.  He likes them.  He has fond ideas for those shoes.

They get past the outside of the demolition area, and Bella can see the holes in the ground.  He tells her as they hang in the air, “Those are for the holding areas.”

They hover as he slowly glides them forward, telling her, “I thought over the ideas you had, and I realized they remind me of a 1960’s club.  You know, the nice clubs that you probably saw in musicals, with the full band playing music.  I decided that we would do that.  Bring back that era in our club.  It can open before the Revelation, then when the newness may fade, the fact that it is owned by vampires will make it a centerpiece of McKinney Street.”

Bella looks down as she thinks about his idea.

Godric can feel her excitement as he continues. “The idea of the dance floor you had would be perfect. I’m adding fog for the floor, to make it more of a dream experience.  Everything will be of that era, but updated.”  His voice lowers as he turns her in the air, having them face each other, dancing over the area he has decided would be the dance floor. “Our first dance will be here.  The band will be playing old favorites, and making new songs to fit the times.  We would glide along the floor, the fog swirling under our feet as we celebrate the opening of our dreams. The entrance into our offices would blend into the rest.  We will also have banquet rooms.”

She shakes her head as she tries to imagine it. ‘Your dreams.  I can’t see it yet.”

He turns her, dancing in the air. “Our dreams.  Without you the club wouldn’t be a thought in my head.  I only took your ideas and turned them into reality.  As I will always do with you, a thaisce.  You give me the dreams, I will make them into reality for you.  Always.”

She shakes her head. “How can you be real?  No one does what you’re doing.  Why do my thoughts matter?” Even Edward hadn’t tried to make her feel this way.  Godric is just… magical.

He twirls her in the air, and, bringing her back to him, says, “Because you are mine.  My treasure, which I have waited through the turning of the ages to hold, to dance in the air with.  And I aim to bring those dreams alive for you.  It is the least you deserve.  There is nothing I won’t do to make your dreams my reality.”

Bella just lays her head against his chest as Godric dances her through her ideas, through his dreams for their future…neither noticing the time or anything that is not in their current reality.

 

* * *

**Final count: 6,443 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	27. Have It All

 

# Have It All

**[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/969764_213473692135749_2001876765_n.jpg) **

**Pre Edit Count – 4,127 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: On Top of the World_ by Imagine Dragons

 

* * *

_Previous:_

_He twirls her in the air, and, bringing her back to him, says, “Because you are mine.  My treasure, which I have waited through the turning of the ages to hold, to dance in the air with.  And I aim to bring those dreams alive for you.  It is the least you deserve.  There is nothing I won’t do to make your dreams my reality.”_

_Bella just lays her head against his chest as Godric dances her through her ideas, through his dreams for their future…neither noticing the time or anything that is not in their current reality._

_Now:_

 

* * *

As Bella sits in front of the makeup mirror that Godric had gotten her as a gift, she thinks over the past month…the last month has been straight from her dreams.  There is no better way to describe it to someone outside the family, or, as Godric has taught her, their nest.

She has been slowly learning all the terms for their grouping, how the Guardians are separate from all others in the bloodline,  how the bloodline actually works, and the particulars that they had not been sure if she could feel.  However, to their surprise, they found out that if she concentrates, she _can_ sense it.  But Eric told her that when she is turned she will just _know_ who owes them fealty or not without thinking about it.  As Godric’s Mate she will just sense it, as does Eric.  It is the magic of the Blood.  There is no better way to explain it.

Smiling at herself as she powders her face, Godric has not treated her any differently than from the first day they met.  All he has done is, in fact, become even more affectionate, more protective.  He works hard to show her how much he cares. He does little things, like feeding her when he gets the chance.  He uses the Bond to tell him what she enjoys, and even has gone so far as to make her breakfast in bed.  The first time he did so, with a tulip in the glass, she had been speechless.  He has done what he had set out to do: he has made her fall in love with him as he is.  There is no doubt in her mind that she loves him completely with or without the Bond.  How could she not?  He is perfect in her eyes.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/bella-godric1.gif)

And the sex?  Bella sits up straight as her lust zings through her, and she feels the answering lust from her Mate.  But, he also sends her some soothing vibes, knowing it is important to her to get ready.  However, it didn’t stop the montage of their past month from playing through her mind.  As Godric had promised that night, there had been times that they barely managed to get into their rooms before he was inside of her with their clothes floating in pieces to the ground as he drives into her.  There were also the times that they spent the entire day in bed, just making slow love to each other.  Ninety-nine percent of their showers involved lovemaking.  Godric had no inhibitions, but everything was at her speed.  The first time she had gone down on him, she realized it was not something dirty as Edward had wanted her to think.  It was amazing…for both of them.

Bella reluctantly wrenches her thoughts away from her memories, knowing neither of them has time for it tonight. The former King of Texas, now that Godric is acknowledged as the current King, seems to be relieved. As soon as Andrew had gotten permission from the both of them, he had moved into the main house and lives with them as one of Godric’s children.

Only Guardians and Godric’s children are allowed to live here.  Not that Bella wouldn’t want Andrew here, he is as much a sibling as Eric is, and soon they will share blood from Godric. Andrew and Bella love to gang up on Eric, and there are times Bella teams up against Andrew.  But for Eric and Andrew to team up on Bella?  Oh, no.  They both learned very quickly that she will not hold back, and they promptly called a truce on that.  The nest is one big happy group, as mixed in species as it is.  Even Alcide comes by when he can on the pretext of discussing club plans. But Bella can see through him, and sees how he loves to watch the nest.  He has also joined the rest in betting on how many times Peter would get slapped by Char.

When Bella, worried about her new sibling, had mentioned that Andrew should have a Guardian as well, Peter had just grinned at her and told her not to worry, that his will come. And then he had smarted off and gotten slapped.  When he had rubbed the back of his head and looked up at his Mate, the rest just laughed at him.  He always deserved it…

 

* * *

There had come a moment two weeks ago when Bella finally understood what Eric had meant about the bond between them being unusually tight.  Eric’s Queen had called to ask if he still wished to be Sheriff since he was with his Maker and had been making googly eyes at his Maker’s Mate.  The rage that had washed through Bella at that moment had made her sway, and she had watched with wide eyes as Eric had calmly told the queen that he was with his Maker, who was the head of his Bloodline. There was no sign of the rage she felt from him.  Instead she listened as he further explained that he had not abandoned his duties, nor had he done anything but work on his job while he took his rightful place as Godric’s Second.  If she would like, he would be glad to put his Maker, the King of Texas, on the phone, and she could make the request of him.

That had caused a lot of backpedaling as the woman realized that, by employing Eric as her Sherriff, she had an alliance with Godric.  The King would not allow his Child to be in any danger and so would defend him.  The fact that Eric had close ties to his Maker’s Mated and Bonded would also benefit her.  No, she did not need a war with the King of Texas who was one of the most revered Heads of a Bloodline, and in fact had most of the monarchy of the states in his Bloodline.

Of course the twit never realized that she would make an enemy if she keeps demeaning Godric’s favorite child, his Second, and that she will cause war because of it.  It is actually uncommon that Godric is permitting his Child to be a Sheriff in an adjoining state, but he is allowing it since Eric feels a need to be there.

They are all for supporting him since the revelations of the Mating, that the Cold Ones had been preventing the Matings of the Vampires.  So, since Eric feels the pull to be in Louisiana, they were all hoping that somehow the Cold Ones have missed this one Mate.

In the interest of not showing their hand to the Child Queen, Eric had to leave, and while he has returned at times, he came back just last night after a lengthy time away to be present for the grand opening of Godric’s club. His queen is here also, along with her retinue, which could cause some issues.

 

* * *

There were other notable names attending tonight’s opening, as well.  Many human celebrities will be mixing in with the vampires about whose existence they will be informed in approximately two months.  Godric planned it that way as a means of showing the world that they have in fact intermingled with vampires many times, and they had never been in danger then.  He plans to market the opening night as that, when it comes to the Reveal.

The authority had decided that December 31st was the date for the world to know about them.  Godric had grumbled, then promised Bella that she would be changed after the club opening, and had even arranged for Eric’s queen to release him to help him with his Bonded’s change.

Unknown to her are all the other things he is taking care of in preparation for her turning, along with Jasper, Eric and Andrew.  It might be a mistake, but these three care so much for her that he is allowing them to help out mainly to soothe their own nerves.  Andrew, for instance, is very much eager for the turning, saying he will be able to claim her as his sister much more effectively then.  For his contribution, he will be doing as much of Godric’s monarchy-related work as he can, allowing his Maker much more time with his Mate when she will need it.

Eric had done as he had promised, and Bella was now Isabella Marie Northman.  There was nothing left to show that she had ever been known by any other name.  It was a measure that they had all agreed upon that will hopefully cover her trail, especially to the point that it keeps the Cold Ones from finding her as easily.  They have also put out background information to make it so that the world believes that she really is Eric’s sister.  The physical changes in her body are making it so that they are more and more like each other.  Bella is happy to know that when she is changed, she will look more like Eric than anyone, and that will help delay anyone from putting her face with Bella Swan.

Peter swears that before the end of the year, they will have a run in with the Cold Ones, but he can’t tell them any more than that.  His Knower is not giving any more information no matter how hard he tries.  That has sent Jasper into a flurry of protective measures that everyone agrees upon.  It was hard on Bella and Godric when they would have liked to have spent time together outside the house, but Godric insisted on the security measures.  Nothing is more important to him than her safety.

He even had them move out of the house for the two weeks that it took for the changes that Bella had wanted to be made.  She had also put her foot down, saying this is their home, not a place for the vampires of Dallas and Texas to just drop in when they felt like it.  She wanted safety, and she wanted her home to feel like a _home_ , not a typical nest. She had visited Stan and Isabel’s nest and had not enjoyed the looks of the vampires there.  Nor did she enjoy the looks of the humans, knowing that they were all glamoured.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/traditional-fireplaces.jpg)

So when she had made that announcement, the two of them had argued about it, which had cracked up Peter later on.  He had called it one of the calmest arguments that he had ever heard.  Both had stated their case.  Then they had parted to different parts of the house, only going to find one another when they wanted a point clarified.  After four hours of this, with the rest of the nest watching them in the main room as they would walk back and forth, the two had come to a conclusion.

Then they came in front of the nest and worked with them on how enact their ideas. They stood together, and Eric had been so proud of his sister, of the fact she was getting her confidence back, and that Godric fully supported her.

In the end, they had decided that there would be a separate entrance to Godric and Bella’s office on the estate grounds.  But for anyone to visit, it would have to be serious, and by appointment or invitation only since their home office was mainly for the nest.

The office at the bar would be where they would meet with others.  That had been settled, and Jasper had put together the security to allow it, even going as far as to allow a separate gate created specifically for that purpose. They had also gotten a witch to cast a spell to make it available to vampires and even Cold Ones, but entrance into the rest of the house and property was by Godric AND Bella’s invitation only.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/17783_10151793211729802_997335906_n.jpg)

Godric had also, with Bella’s encouragement, insisted that the hours for the club be their office hours.  The actual club looked like a face, which it really was.  They had built into the adjoining buildings, creating areas for vampires to meet.  The buildings all around the club are parts of it, but Godric and Bella liked the looks of it.  It hid from most eyes the private parts of the structure, which is what they wanted.  Jasper had loved it from the security aspects, but he also loved to tease Bella about how industrial it looked on the outside with the inside being so opulent.  She just wrinkled her nose at him.

So they had designed the club around Bella’s ideas, with Jasper and the rest planning the security.  They knew that when the revelation came there would be fanatics, so the glass was bullet proof and there were many other security measures built into the club.  None were as in depth as the ones around Godric and Bella, which included doors that could close off parts of the club, areas that surprised Bella when they tested them two days ago.

Jasper told her that they were not taking any chances with security on either them or Eric.  Andrew moving in made it even easier. They had all given in to the levels Jasper had implemented, knowing that if they get used to it now, it will be easier when such measures are really needed.  And as Jasper had reminded her, humans are not generally very tolerant of anything new, and that it would take a while for vampires to have equal rights.

Bella painted her lips in the mirror as her mind skipped over the last month.  She grimaced when she remembered meeting the last of Godric’s children. Nora.  She feels love and care coming from both her brother and her Mate.  She sends her own love back to them, then goes over that time in her head.  It had certainly been an eye opener for her, not only about Nora, but about her Mate, her Bond with her brother, and about others.

Nora was a mess. Godric had gotten tired of her interfering whenever he had done anything with Bella through the Authority in an effort to make sure all the rules are followed.  So he had forcefully _called_ her after notifying the Roman.  And he did it before dawn, making her suffer before she could answer the _call_.  He was done with her.  The rules were followed because it pleased him to do so; Nora thinking she could change the results was laughable at the very least.  Bella is Godric’s, and he is Bella’s.  Nothing Nora could do would ever change that.

It had been a lesson to Bella on how Godric could be to those who threatened their happiness.  She had, up until that point, only known the side of the man who was deeply in love with her as much as she, herself, was in love with him. He had been relaxed and easygoing around her, but she had seen signs of the iron control he had.  But never to the level that she had seen that day.

She grins as she remembers how much better she had gotten to know him.  She had loved finding out that he prefers laid back clothing, sweatshirts and jeans when they go out.  He adores skateboarding, and she had spent an afternoon laughing at him and Eric along with their Guardians as they skateboarded.  After Jasper and Peter had realized that Eric and Godric could fly, they called false on some of the moves they did.

But then she herself was surprised when Godric admitted that while he could maneuver anything touching him, Eric could only move himself.   They had no idea if Eric would gain more power later in his long life, but it explained the dance that she and Godric had enjoyed above the nonexistent dance floor on that first date.

Once that information had been admitted, they were treated to some of Godric’s moves from lonely nights when the skateboarding had become an art.  He had coasted throughout Dallas many a night, watching the world and doing something to pass the time.  It had been something he enjoyed, there had been many of his physical age doing the same, and they had showed him much in moves and such.  It had been a happier time in his long existence.

 

* * *

But the night of Nora’s latest stunt, Godric was angry.  Bella could not help but feel it, and she finally went to Eric to get relief from the pounding anger.  She never understood how he did it, but he was the only one she sensed who could help her.

Eric had looked up from the conference table where he had been working through the red tape of Nora’s latest ‘request’ and, sensing her emotions, had opened his arms to her.  When she had crawled into his lap, he held her close, kissing her forehead.  He poured his love through their Bond to try to alleviate the pressure he could feel from her.  He knew Godric was shielding, but the two of them were so closely bonded that there was no way to completely block his rage from her.  Eric himself was not exempt from feeling Godric’s rage, but then, he had also had a thousand years to learn to deal with it.  He counted himself lucky that his Maker didn’t get this angry often.

“Why is he so angry?  I never have felt Godric this angry before,” she had cried to him, not understanding how her loving calm Mate could be this livid.

As he held her to him, Eric told her softly, “It’s my fault.  He turned Nora for me, and it was a mistake.  She is a harpy, wanting nothing more than to be the number one female in our eyes.  She has never let up on Pamela, even after Pam admitted to loving a woman’s body more than a man’s, but because we had fucked at one point, Nora will never stop pushing her. I eventually took Pamela away from her.  Godric has never really paid any female any attention until you.  I think she is jealous that he never cared for her.  He had done his duty to her, and gotten her a position with the Authority when she requested it, but never did he care for her, never even thought of her as someone to relieve the itch.  She hated him for being my sexual partner when I wished, but she loved him as her Maker.”

He sighed.  Nora could not understand the apathy Godric held for her and did all she could to tempt her with her body.  That had been what had turned Eric off of her, what had convinced him she was not the Mate he had yearned for, the Mate he had had wanted her to be.

His arms were holding his sister close as his hand stroked through her hair, and he continued, “I never saw how bad she had gotten until I came back with Pam from a job.  Even then, she still listened to Godric.  But one day I came to Dallas to visit, thinking I would be able to have some time with him.  She was here and she was screaming at him because he had allowed me to become a Sheriff   He didn’t acknowledge her, acted as though she was not there.  But when I walked in the room, and realized what happened, I had her against the wall.  Then she had the nerve to try to be coy and act like nothing had happened.  I couldn’t help myself, I was ready to kill her.” His anger at that memory had ripped through him, and he felt Bella jerk in his arms and he soothed her as he sent remorse.

He rested his head on hers and continued, “But he ordered me to not to.  He said that she is what we made her into.  This is my lesson, that you don’t change those you don’t feel a pull to.  I felt bad since I had never felt the pull to Pam, and yet I changed her anyway.   Godric then instructed me that there are those who are not suited for our life, and to never trust those that there is no pull to.”

Bella asked so quietly that it took a lot for Eric to hear, “What about me?”

He frowned and looked down to her, “You are Godric’s Mate, my sister.  To say we feel a pull to you would be like saying that is a little bit nippily in Sweden in the middle of winter.  You are most wanted, pulled to, and needed.  But I will share my lesson that I learned too late with you, my dear sister.” Although if Peter is right, she would never be able to have the joy of being a Maker.  He just held her, and let her lose herself in their Bond.

She sighed as she relaxed into Eric, and he held her as he calmed her.  After a little while he asked her softly, “You do know he is not mad at you, syrra?”

She nodded. “I know.  I don’t understand it, but since the Bonding and Mating, if he gets too strong of an emotion, he can’t control it.  It hurts.  Not even blood helps.  But being with you helps mute it to a level I can deal with,” she mumbled, so relaxed for the first time since Godric had found out what had happened.

Eric frowned as he thought it over.  How would he mute the effect their Mating and Bonding had on her?  A voice comes from the door as Godric leaned on it as he watched the two people who meant the world to him. “Your own bond helps.  It is why I am over here, not holding her.  Touch makes it more potent.  I figured when I felt her and you dim in my bonds, that you were helping her.  Thank you.” He was very thankful for Eric being able to calm her.  He hated what he was doing, but no matter how much he tried to shut down the Bond, it had not been enough.  It had just added to the numerous incidences for which Nora would suffer.

As he watched his Maker, Eric touched on Bella and realized she was dozing.  He looked down and his face had softened as he watched her as she slept in his arms.

Godric chuckled.  “She can still hear us.  But since this is the first time she has gotten a chance to even shut her eyes, I thank you.”

Eric looked up and asked softly, “It doesn’t bother you?”

Godric had started shaking his head before Eric could finish the question, and informed him, “No.  I am glad of it.  She needs a way to escape me.  Per Peter, it will take past her turning to learn to block me.  And even then, we will never be able to block from the other completely.  It is why we worked out the method to arguing that you saw a couple of weeks ago.” It had been a much better solution than the last time they had fought.  Neither had liked that time at all.

Not able to stop the chuckle, Eric smiled at Godric. “I will admit, that was the damnedest thing I ever saw.”

“She came up with it, and it does work.  I suggest the same for you, my son.  It is not a pleasant thing to try to argue with her, especially now that we are bonded so closely.  It does provide better results, even though I told her I would be happy to come to her when she had questions, but she told me the walking to each other helped to calm us down.  Seems it was a way she learned to deal with Renee.”

Eric controlled the burst of anger he felt any time her old family was mentioned, and nodded. “I can see where she comes from.  I could feel the difference in the two of you.  I will use it if we argue.” And maybe he could use it other times, too.  He really hated his temper, and he controlled it, but with Pam or any of the people he was bonded to, it was hard to separate their emotions to know which was his and which was theirs. It had been a reason he had gained his famous poker face.

Godric chuckled.  He then looked off. “What are we going to do, Eric?  I was given permission to punish her in any way I wish, even True Death.”  He was trying to see a way out of this, but he could no longer abide her disobedience.  It was coming to the point where she would be ended by him or by someone else now.

He sighed as he realized his Maker was truly angry, and looked at him, “I will do it, if you wish. It is my fault that she is your Child.” He would take the burden from his Maker at any time, but especially now.  It was his fault.

As he looked at his petite Mate in his Son’s arms, Godric told him, “I will do what I need to.  Meanwhile, do take care with the information that Peter provided you earlier.” He looked up at Eric, made eye contact with him, and conveyed to him that he would need to deal with the issue.  He hoped that now Eric would learn the lesson he had tried to show him before.

Eric closed his eyes.  “I will.  It is as you said, no one but those you feel a pull to.” He cannot believe the information Peter had given them, but he knew it to be true.  Being their spymaster was perfect for Peter since his Knower often helped fill in the blanks for them.

His eyes were sad as he looked at Eric.  He told him, “We have a good nest here.  Or as Bella calls it, a family.  You have a brother you trust to have your back, you have a sister to love.  You have other blood family who will watch over her as any relative should, and you have a pair of Guardians for yourself that I am happy with.  This will pass as all things do.” He truly believed this.  This was no more than just garbage that had been accumulating, and while it was unfortunate that it was coming out at this time, it was going to come to a head one way or the other anyway.  Godric would rather deal with it all right now – he had more important things to do with his time.

With that, the two shared a look.  Godric left, and let Eric hold his Mate to allow her the rest that she needed.

 

* * *

That evening, Bella and Godric received Nora in their new library, with the rest of the nest in attendance. She was angry and glared at Bella.

Godric had lifted an eyebrow.  Eric had looked down at her from his place between the two behind their seats.  He too lifted an eyebrow as he commented, “Is this any way to meet with the King of Texas, your Maker and the Head of your Bloodline?”

Godric just sat there and stared at her.  His rage was still there, flickering in his eyes.  Eric’s hands on him and Bella were really there to help Bella with Godric’s rage.  She felt why he was considered so powerful, and he was trying to control his anger.

He cared nothing of how Nora treated him as her actions showed her to be the guttersnipe she was.  How she treated Eric made him upset, and he has punished her for it.  But Eric can take care of himself.  Pam is Eric’s concern, not Godric’s.  He had made that plain when he had brought the woman home.

But his Mate?  Nora was going to find that her Maker was not one to mess with.  But right now, he needed to not hurt his Mate with the rage he felt.

Eric looked down at the woman he had at one point thought to be his Mate.  How wrong he had been.  When she still did not show any deference, he nodded and Jasper moved behind her and forced her to the ground.

Nora was shocked as the Cold One forced her to the ground.  She shrieked at him, “Unhand me you foul piece of filth! Do you know who I am?”

Jasper smirked. “A woman not respecting the Head of her family.  Be glad I am not in charge of you.  I would have you over my knee and spanked.  You need to learn some humility.”

Andrew choked. It was the _least_ the bitch needed to learn, but it was accurate enough to promise that this showdown would be much more entertaining for the nest than normal.

Godric had a contemplative look on his face, but Peter told him, “It won’t do anything.  You need him here, not messin’ with her.”  The last word was said with as much disgust as possible. He looked down at the woman who had been saved from the ditch by these two men, and she had no respect or thankfulness for either of them for it.

Sighing, Godric looked down at her. “I can’t disown you, because I am the only one able to control you.  Roman has told me of your heathen ways and how he has tried to curtail you.  He has told me that Bella is acknowledged as my Mate, as well as other information I had sent to him.”

 

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Then the door opened and a tall man dressed in black walked in.  He had piercing grey eyes under his raven black hair, and a scruff that drove women nuts.  A smirk covered his face as he looked down at the individual being forced to her knees.

Eric grined in recognition of the man. “Armando!” He could not help but smile at the man he had spent many hours in bars with competing on who would have the most women fall over themselves for a chance to be theirs for the night.

Armando gave a mocking half bow.  “Nash sent me.  It seems you have a problem.” He grinned back at his friend, one of his few.

Nora started at the name, but Jasper’s grip on her shoulder didn’t allow her to do much else.

Eric asked as he grinned at him, “I thought you were elsewhere, something about finding your princess?” He relaxed in the knowledge that they had received the answer to their question. He had heard that Armando had found her, and that she had been through some rough stuff, enough to break most humans, and that Armando had interfered often to make sure his Mate would be able to grow up in a family full of love for her.  Being who he was, he could not take care of her himself.  There were too many who would love to harm her just because of what she meant to him.

Armando looked around at the room and the rest of the nest as he walked forward. “I have.  She is safe.  But you, my friend, have growing problems  on your hands.  The only thing I am going to ask is:  have you learned your lesson?”  His eyebrow arched as he stood there looking at his friend.  He was earnest, and only because it was for Eric  was he willing to do this.

Eric closed his eyes in for a moment then nods. “I have.  More than learned it.” His eyes opened and met the grey ones of his friend.

Armando noded.  “I will relieve you of one of the problems.  Nash has authorized it, and if Godric will give me his Bond, then I will take her off your hands.  As you both know, this is not permanent.  And if she does _anything_ to harm my stella, she will be dead.  Is this understood?” He had stated this to Nash, and he had agreed.  Nash thought that Nora might become useful, but if she could not be controlled, she would be given the True Death.  Armando had also stipulated that if she in any way harms his Mate, he would carry out the final sentence with no hesitation.

They nod, but Bella finally could not stay still. “What is going on?” She was confused, and though she knew that as a human she should not have spoken, Godric had encouraged her to ask and let her questions be known.  The only reason she knew otherwise was because she asked Andrew to let her know what was normal.  She never wanted to be a reason Godric killed.

Nora snarled at her, “Because of your ass, they are giving me to the Dark Prince for training.  All because you managed to get my Maker and my Brother to think you are more than you truly are, a whore.” Her face was twisted into an ugly visage, and she struggled against the hold Jasper had on her.

Without Bella seeing it, there was a sound that startled her and she looked down and saw Armando crouching with Nora’s head on the ground. He had leaned over her to enforce his dominant status over her.  Jasper was behind him, an eyebrow raised as he monitored the bitch.

Armando snarled back at her, “She is more than you will _ever_ be.  She is your Maker’s Mate, and your Brother’s true sister.   You owe her your fealty.  But don’t worry, Whora, I will teach you how to bow before your betters.  You should have listened to Eric when he told you that you were pushing boundaries you have no idea about.  I am to be your Master, and I will teach you the full meaning of this word.” The last was said with his fangs extended next to her ear.  He would not fail his friend in making sure that this waste of space would make up for her many shortcomings from all these years.

Bella managed not to cringe, but when Armando threw Nora to the side and she crashed into the stone pillar, she flinched.  Jasper immediately had Nora in a headlock and nodded to Armando.  He would take over from here.

Armando sighed then turned to Bella to bow.  “I am so sorry, your Highness.  I have forgotten to introduce myself to you.   I am Armando Ignacio d’Napoli at your service.” He looked up, and his eyes were twinkling as he smiled at her.

She nodded, but she watched the man in front of her warily.  Upon seeing it, Armando sighed.  He told her in a gentle voice, “You do not know of me, nor have you heard of me, but I will never harm you nor any you call yours,” he promised to her, having already known how important she was to the world.  She would be setting so many souls free with her presence which would allow these warriors to be ready when the call comes.  It was his honor to watch over her for any length of time.  Plus, as Eric’s sister, he was very interested in getting to know her.

She hesitated, but feeling Godric and Eric next to her, she asked, “Why did she call you the Dark Prince?” She was curious; she had not missed how Eric felt when he had seen him.  There was friendship between the two.

He chuckled.  “It’s a play on a couple of things, my Queen.  One, I was born a Prince of Naples, and once a Prince, always a prince.  Also it plays on the fact I wear dark clothing.  But mostly, I am sworn to the Dark One, as some call him.  I serve Nash for now, but I know that I have some changes coming, not the least of which is my stella.”  He smiles, and it makes the man who was as handsome as any she had seen, become beautiful.  She smiled at him, and wondered about this woman who was obviously his whole world.

He looked over at his new charge, “For Nora, it means that she will see the darker side of me.  I have been tasked with training her while I wait for my stella to grow up.  It will not be pleasant for her, but it has been needed for a long time.  Nash has decided that she has shamed her nest and her position too much to be allowed to continue.” Not said was that this was her last chance.  They all understood.

Bella looked at where Jasper held the woman who had made her Mate so angry and then back to Armando.

Godric held her hand, and told Armando, “I will accept this gladly.  As you mentioned, we have enough troubles coming.  If she will not heel, I will end her.  I have no more time to give to someone who holds nothing but contempt for my Mate.”  He said it out loud as he knew that Nora would not accept it unless she heard it from his mouth.  He was done.

Nora started, her eyes wide as she realized what Godric said.

Jasper’s eyes darken as he lowered his lips to her ear, “Yes, darlin’.  He is done with you.  She is truly his Mate, and you insulted her.  If you do not learn the lessons the Italian is going to teach you, he will allow you to have the True Death.  This is your last chance.  If I catch you upsetting him or my sister, I will end you.” With that, he nodded to the rest, and took her to be interred in a silver coffin for Armando to deal with when he had the time.

Eric shook his head at her idiocy.  He looked up and asked, “Are you staying for the opening?” He was interested to know if he would have time to reminisce with him and to find out more about his dark Princess.

A smirk appeared, “Of course.” He waived around him.  “Like I would pass up the chance to see this much talked about club.  I hear that it is a one of a kind.”  And that had been the topic of the conversation for the rest of the night, the club and finding out more about the Dark Prince.

 

* * *

Bella sighs as she pulls the last of her curls out of the curling iron for tonight.  The lessons of the last month had been fun, but Nora had been a wakeup call that all is not perfect in her world.

However, the nights with Godric had been enough to satisfy any woman. That night had been a new high, and she can feel herself getting aroused, and can feel Godric’s amusement at her arousal for the second time already for the night.  But who can blame her?  Godric had worshipped her body enough times that she is still in awe.  He would once in a while murmur to her that he found his new spot for the night, and that night had made her reevaluate the joys of being his lover.

Giving up since she is ready, she lets her mind wonder over specific times with her Mate. The night after their date had been memorable.  Since then, he has had the chocolate mousse delivered a couple of times.  Seems Godric’s body was the right temperature for maximum effects when it came to eating it off him.  And she had also found some ticklish spots.

Her face reddens as she remembers all the ways Godric has shown her his thousands of years of experience.  The man has taken her to places she never even dreamed.  And she thanks his gods and her Goddess for the fact that _he_ is the one to introduce her to sex, to the art of making love.

Neither can go long without some sort of intimacy, but they have learned that while making love can connect them, the simple act of being together while taking a bath, reading a book together on the couch, or just simply being with each other will satisfy them.  Being together in those ways she realizes is just as intimate as making love to him.

Yes, she has learned many things with Godric, and she looks forward to learning more.  She sprays the last curl into place, and rises to slip off the dark blue robe he had bought her the other day to finish getting dressed.

Looking at her outfit, she grins as she looks forward to shocking her Mate.  And with that thought, Bella proceeds to finish dressing for the opening of their club.

 

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**Final count:  6,909 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	28. Your Love Lifts Me Out of Time

# Your Love Lifts Me Out of Time

 

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**Pre Edit Count – 2,948 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Heart by Heart_ by Demi Lovato

 

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_Previous:_

_Neither can go long without some sort of intimacy, but they have learned that while making love can connect them, the simple act of being together while taking a bath, reading a book together on the couch, or just simply being with each other will satisfy them.  Being together in those ways she realizes is just as intimate as making love to him._

_Yes, she has learned many things with Godric, and she looks forward to learning more.  She sprays the last curl into place, and rises to slip off the dark blue robe he had bought her the other day to finish getting dressed._

_Looking at her outfit, she grins as she looks forward to shocking her Mate.  And with that thought, Bella proceeds to finish dressing for the opening of their club._

_Now:_

 

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Bella slowly dresses.  She pulls up her garters with the lacey edges and smiles knowing that only her Mate will see them.  But she has learned to enjoy the little things, and these make her feel very sexy, and she can certainly imagine the joy Godric will have in removing them.  Well, if he _does_ remove them.  Sometimes he loves to leave her garters and shoes on…

She smiles softly to herself as she enjoys the act of getting ready for her other half. She knows that only he will see the care she takes to make herself beautiful exactly for what it is: a way to be beautiful.  For the first time in her life, she feels that beauty, and it had only taken a month of adoration from her Mate and her brother.

While it wasn’t that long of a time, when you are adored that much, you would be shocked at how your outlook changes…especially when the ones complimenting you are two beautiful men:  Godric and Eric.

Eric never pulled punches and he had been almost brutal in pointing out how her looks were more than competent when compared to any others.  As he had offhandedly commented, did she really think that Godric saw anyone but her?

That had made her stare at him, and she had to admit that Armando’s frankly admiring glances helped, too.  He had complimented her quite a few times himself.  When Godric had growled at him one time for it, he had simply raised his eyebrow and told him, “I found my Bella Stella, my very own Bella Principessa Oscuro ( _Beautiful Dark Princess_ ), but I am not blind.  I can admire a woman in love, who is beautiful in her own way.”  He had been blunt, but appreciative.

This had shocked her.  She had slowly begun to learn that she might just be what they called her.  There were also the nights of passion, of Godric blatantly searching her out for the love she can give him.  The meeting of their souls during those intimate moments assures her that he only loves her, that he wants only her.  There was no other from whom he would drink, and there was no other, not even Eric, for whom he felt desire.

Now she is dressing for this night, and it’s a huge night for both of them.  This is the night they open their club to the public, and their last big outing before the Revelation.  It is also one of her last nights as a human.

Even though they knew the cause of it, her pain had been increasing.  After some tests and having Dr. Ludwig speak with Peter, they had decided that being with her Mate is causing her body to work towards holding even more information.  Peter actually stated that Bella will be powerful, and he suspects that the venom will make it so that her shield will be both physical and mental.  Plus she will also have gifts from being Godric’s Mate and Eric’s sister.

Peter had hypothesized with Dr. Ludwig about the possibility that the older the blood of the Maker, the more gifts could be bestowed upon the progeny, theorizing that the older the blood, the closer to the original vampire. Soon afterward they had received a note from Nash that stated, “Yes, now enough”, thus ending that topic of conversation.  But Peter had walked through the house with a proud smirk on his face, until Charlotte had smacked him, of course.

Bella had missed Peter and Charlotte when they had left with Eric, and it had pleased her when the house filled back up.  She had teased Peter knowing that, sooner or later, he would mess up and say something to get slapped.  Char had already complained about Eric’s current club, and the tons of half-naked women who threw themselves at Eric and Peter.

Humming softly to herself, Bella shrugs into her dress, then before she can try to zip it up, she feels her Mate behind her. He bestows a light kiss on her neck before he zips up her dress. His hands come to rest on her waist as he moves closer to her.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/yd176-1-dramatic-black-diamond-necklace.jpg)

But before she can turn to greet him, he holds her still, murmuring, “I have something to complete the outfit, a thaisce.”  Watching him in the mirror, she gasps as he puts a black diamond necklace around her throat.  Her eyes meet his in the glass.

Godric just stares at his beauty’s reflection as he places another kiss where he joins the necklace, leaving the extra length of chain to dangle down her bare back.  “So beautiful, so mine.”  He holds her closer as he whispers to her, “I love you, a thaisce.”

She smiles at him, and sends him her love. “I love you, too.”

He turns her around, and staring at her, he slowly lowers himself to one knee.  He holds her hand in his as he tells her, “You are the one I dreamed of two thousand years in the past.  You are the one who knows my heart and soul as no other.  I am not asking for this now, but I would like you to join with me in the last Bond left.  Not the human way, that is so meaningless.  It’s a piece of paper that cannot encompass the true meaning of our love.  No, I am asking that in the future, you would honor me by Pledging to me in the vampire way, for forever.  Eternity.  I would accept no less, nor would you deserve anything but that.  Will you honor me in agreeing to Pledge yourself to me?” He gazes at her, his aforementioned soul and heart clearly visible in his eyes and face.

Bella’s eyes fill and she nods.  She will never marry.  Like Godric said, it is too temporary.  But what he is asking for is the stars, and she will give it to him as long as he gives her time to get used to it.

His face breaks out in a huge grin as he slides a ring onto her finger.  He then jokes, “I put a ring on it.  I didn’t want to let anyone else think they have a chance.”

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/1139-1-og.jpg)

And with that Bella is full-on laughing.  She remembers clearly the night that he had taken her out to a normal club, and they had danced.  Now that she no longer falls over her own feet, she has found that she adores dancing, especially with Godric, and even with Eric, too.  For such a tall man, he really can move.

But that night she had gone out with all the other single ladies and danced to a song by Beyoncé.  Godric had been confused, and she explained that if he didn’t put a ring on it, humans would think she is free for the taking.  For the rest of the night, he had laughed at the men who had gotten desperate with her, and had come gallantly to her rescue when they pushed too hard.  Unlike Edward, Godric trusted her.  Godric could be almost violently possessive of her, but he allowed her to stand on her own two feet and handle things.

She was taken aback the first time he had done it as King.  He had her by his side as they listened to two vampires arguing about a pet.  Godric had been calm, but when they had started talking in circles, he held up a hand.  He then looked to her and asked her what she thought.

He didn’t take her aside. He didn’t ask them to leave.  No, instead Godric had made it very apparent to his supplicants that his Mate, though human now, is ruling by his side.  If you didn’t like it, keep it to yourself, leave, or be strung up in silver.  There were no second chances. That message had been received as well as Nash’s announcement welcoming the King _and_ Queen of Texas to the club of Monarchs.

Godric just stares into her eyes as their Bond does all the talking, saying all the things that mere words would trivialize.  He is thrilled that his Mate, who he knows hates marriage, would agree to do this for him.  At first he had been set back when he’d discovered her aversion to marriage.  But this, this is for eternity, and would also let the other Kings and Queens know that he is not entertaining any offers.  There would be no need to hurt his Mate needlessly with them asking.

Eric just stops in the doorway of their room, and leans against the jam.  He has a smile on his face as he watches the two, and since they are not hiding what they are feeling, he can sense when they reach out and enfold him in their closeness.  He doesn’t hesitate to approach, and the three of them rest in their mutual Bonds.

They had found out about the unusual Bonding experience one evening when Godric and Bella had been curled up on the couch. Eric had come in and asked if he could join them.  They had both looked up and nodded.  Bella had curled up in the corner of the couch and was working on a redesign for another of their houses, with Godric’s head in her lap, his eyes closed as her fingers had trailed through his hair.  Eric had collapsed on the floor in front of them and rested his head against Bella’s legs.  He had just received some news he was not happy about, and needed to relax.   Since no one bugged Godric and Bella when they are like this, he had asked first.

The three of them had ended up falling into their Bonds, finding a sort of peacefulness there that none of them had been aware of before.  Since then, Eric had often found himself working on his iPad in their room when they are just being themselves.  Once in a while they would talk, but there had been many times when they had all simply sunk into the Bond, all of them tangled up in each other.  There was nothing sexual about it, just a peaceful companionship that was hard to explain.

When Eric had gone back to Shreveport, that sense of being so close to each other had been missed, and it had been one of the things they had made a point to do each time he returned.

Then Eric has to be himself, knowing that they can’t spend the night like this no matter how much they all want to.  This is an occasion to celebrate, and Eric is going to make sure that everyone knows about it tonight. “So I see you put a ring on it.”

Godric sighs as he shakes his head.  “Why is it I have never heard of this before?” He grins, and the amusement flows in their Bonds as he pulls his love into his arms.

Laughing at his Maker, Eric tells him, “Because you don’t work in a bar that plays it over and over.  I will be glad to be away from the top forty when Fangtasia officially opens.” He shudders at how many songs are played over and over and over… Surely humans cannot want such repetition?

Bella grins, but when she starts to pull away, Eric shakes his head. “Where do you think you’re going?”

She lifts an eyebrow at him as she comments, “To grab my wrap.” She isn’t sure about what Eric means. Godric has allowed her out of his arms, and if there had been something missing, surely he would have let her know.

He shakes his head. “You think you’re dressed?” Eric looks over to Godric.  “Women these days,” he intones ruefully as he grabs his gift for his syrra.

 

 

 

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/q2100-black-diamond-bracelet-black-diamond-bangle-jewelry_large.jpg)

 

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Bella shakes her head but when she feels a slight tugging in her ears, she looks in the mirror to find some beautiful earrings dangling from her lobes.  “Eric!  You shouldn’t have!” Then she glances at her wrist and notices the bracelet he has slipped on there, too.

He hugs her to him, “I should, and lots more.  You look gorgeous.  Are you sure you want that old man to escort you when you have me?” He lifts an eyebrow at her, enjoying the banter between them.

She laughs, looking up at her brother. “Sorry, he put a ring on it.  He gets to escort me.  But since I know you’re going stag, I will be happy to have you on my other arm.  Spiff you up, if that’s possible.” She looks down her nose at him in his tux, which is pretty hard to do since he is still a foot taller than she is even in her heels.

With laughter, the three start up the stairs.  Jasper and Paul are in Guardian mode, along with Peter and Charlotte.  However, Charlotte is decked out in beautiful jewelry, and it is obvious that her Mate is as gone on her as Godric is on Bella.

Pamela, on the other hand, is standing there in a Vera Wang dress, but it doesn’t look as good as normal, not with that frown on her face.  She normally wouldn’t escort Eric since he usually wanted it obvious that he was available for companionship, but she had heard Eric teasing Bella on the way up on how she is going to ruin his playboy image.  Why is he giving up that status for her?  And if he has gotten tired of the vermin, then why hasn’t he asked her to escort him?

She also notices that when she walks into the room, Bella just glows.  No human should look that good.

But she keeps her disgust under wraps.  She has heard what happened to Nora, and it makes her determined that her Maker would not have reason to give her to the Dark Prince, too.  No, her aunt can have that honor all to herself.

With only a slight stagger when they reach the top of the stairs and take her through the house, Godric and Eric guide her through the front door and into the Limo.  They had a tight timeline, and if Charlotte had seen the ring _before_ they got inside, Bella would never get there in time.

And, predictably, Charlotte catches sight of the glitter on Bella’s ring finger, and she barely keeps herself from squealing as she grabs her hand.  As she looks at the ring, she tells her, “Your man has a fine eye for jewelry.  As is told by that necklace, too.  It is so unique!”

Bella grins and is soon talking to her animatedly.  The males all glance at each other in amusement, but they never once interrupt the female chatter.

Pamela sits in the corner, and just watches.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/1150777_10151793211769802_122662374_n.jpg)

When they pull up to the new club, there are photographers everywhere.  Jasper and Peter exit the vehicle first, and once they are sure it is safe, they step out of the way as Godric gets out, then Eric.  They too take in the area, then in a synchronized move, reach into the limo to help Bella out.

Tons of flashes go off as Bella gracefully steps out of the limo.  She grins at the expressions on her Mate and brother’s faces.  All the while the cameras keep going off.  The two men offer her their elbows, and they turn to make their way down the red carpet.

Jasper is behind them, and when Peter hands out Charlotte, they soon follow them as well.  Paul gets out, looks around to ensure that nothing is coming up behind them, then hands out Pam. The two of them generate just as many flashes from the cameras.  They looked remarkable together, his russet coloring complementing her gown and her blonde looks.  Pamela gracefully smiles, and she can hear comments about her boutique being a hit in New Orleans and across the pond.  It is enough to calm her down, and Paul sighs in relief.

Godric, Bella and Eric are stopped a couple of times as they make their way up the carpet.  Bella is a newcomer, but it had been gossiped about how Godric had been seen escorting her about town and the looks the two trade.

Thanks to the Blessing the Goddess had given Bella and Eric, there is no doubt now that the two are siblings.  When a reporter asks Eric why he had hidden her away for so long, Eric laughs. “I was making sure that Godric would allow her to grow up before he swept her off her feet.”

The reporter swiftly grabs the tidbit, “Are they an item?” It would be the scoop of the night.  Godric is well known as a wealthy investor, and has been being seen in public more and more since the date for the Revelation has been set.  So in Dallas, and in a lot of the nation, Godric is as well-known as Eric is.

Eric, knowing this game, grins at the reporter. “Oh yes.  And there is no one I would trust my little sister to more.  In fact,” he leans closer to the reporter, “if you get a flash on her hand, you will see that he took my advice and put a ring on it.”

Eric couldn’t help it.  He had laughed when Bella told him the story about the song, and had ribbed Godric about it the entire time.  Finally Godric had snapped and told him that he will be _sure_ to make her not available in anyone’s eyes.  Then his eyes glowed at Eric as he told him, “Mine.”

So now, he will drop it about all that to his Maker, who has been transitioning from being his father to being more like his brother.  As odd as it sounds, Eric likes this new relationship, but he also loves the fact he can let his playful side come out more and more.

Godric hears his comment and rolls his eyes as he leans closer to his Mate. “Eric opened his mouth, expect a flurry of flashes.”

Right after he says that, they all go off.

Bella just laughs.  They are close to the doors, and so it would not be very long that she has to put up with it…and she has no doubt that Eric had planned it just that way.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/988269_10151792244299802_1900663277_n.jpg)

The crowd itself ends up giving them the reprieve she wants as the three make it inside.  Bella’s eyes widen as she takes in the first thing she sees when she enters the area: the dance floor.  She can see the full band inside, just like in the old musicals she had admitted to Godric that she loves.  They had spent a lot of time watching those, and Bella sees why Godric has been so intent on it.

He has recreated that exact feeling right here.  The seating is elegant, the lights might be a little harsh, but the fog on the dance floor gentles it all, making it seem like a dream. And as he has told her many times before, he will make her dreams come true, even the ones that she never imagined possible.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Godric smiles at her reaction, and he heads to the right for her to see the bar.  It is much darker, but he wants her to see the entire place. It is hers, all of it.  He made it for her.  He had never wanted a place like this before, but for his Mate…he wanted to give her this.

Eric steps away, making sure that all the plans for the night are in place.  This is Bella and Godric’s time.  They will be dealing with all the other shit soon enough.  For tonight, he will give them this.

Godric shows her all but the business part, figuring they will be spending much time there anyway.  And, while he has surprised her with the club, the business area is something that she designed.

When they come back through to the front of the club, he swings her onto the dance floor.  The music begins with a piano segueing into a woman’s voice.  Godric swings Bella out on the floor, and she cannot keep her eyes off her Mate as she realizes he is giving her another dream made into reality.

As the song picks up, Godric effortlessly leads her as they dance on the floor with no other couples.  The fog is swaying with them, and no one wants to disturb the scene in front of them.  The couple everyone watches shows their love, and the song that had just made it into the hits recently seems to have been made for them.

Neither looks in another direction as each is captivated by the other’s eyes.  And now that the fog was thick enough, no one can tell that the couple is no longer dancing on the floor;  no, their very feet are lifted from the ground as they swirl across the floor.

As the music slowly dies, the lights dim, and the two end their magical dance staring into each other’s eyes, and the love they have for each other is evident to all.

And for that moment, life is all that Bella could wish for.  The love of her Mate is strong enough to make her very dreams come true.

 

* * *

**Final count:  3,735 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	29. It’s Incredible

# It’s Incredible

 

**[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/dark-road-in-the-woods.jpg) **

**Pre Edit Count – 1,745 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Unforgettable_ by Nat “King” Cole and Natalie Cole

 

* * *

_Previous:_

_Neither looks in another direction as each is captivated by the other’s eyes.  And now that the fog was thick enough, no one can tell that the couple is no longer dancing on the floor;  no, their very feet are lifted from the ground as they swirl across the floor._

_As the music slowly dies, the lights dim, and the two end their magical dance staring into each other’s eyes, and the love they have for each other is evident to all._

_And for that moment, life is all that Bella could wish for.  The love of her Mate is strong enough to make her very dreams come true._

_Now:_

 

* * *

The crowd is quiet as no one wants to disturb the dream-like scene in front of them.  That memory would stay with them all through the night, and the photographer Eric had hired for the occasion had caught it perfectly, to make it an unforgettable memory for the two for the rest of their lives. Eric grins knowing that he will gift Godric with the portrait, which he knows will be placed in a spot of honor.

Then the band strikes up a new song, and the dream is only paused as Bella lights up to hear another one of her favorites, and her eyes drift over to the stage to see Natalie Cole there.  The delight on her face when Eric walks out and swings her into his arms to start dancing with her breaks the crowd’s trance.  Slowly more dancers grace the floor.  Soon Godric has one of the females in his nest in his arms and they glide among the rest of the dancers.  Yes, the dream is only being paused so as to share it with the rest of the crowd as they all take to the floor, many of them vampires who remember dancing to this song when her father had sung it.

Bella is quite the belle of the ball.  She dances quite beautifully to the song with her brother, and as she had noted earlier, he is quite skilled in formal dance.  His long, lean body gives the touch of elegance that the song requires.  He grins down at her, and she can feel his affection flowing through their Bond.  This will be one of their shared treasured memories that that will come in handy when times get rough.

By sweeping his sister into his arms, Eric knows he is allowing others to take to the floor. Earlier his dear sister had been close to tears from the love Godric had sent her. Not that he could blame her; the love the two of them have for each other is breathtaking, and has Eric wishing to find the same love for himself.  He feels very blessed that the two of them don’t block him from their Bond.

Now she laughs in his arms as he gracefully sweeps her along the floor, especially when he leans in close and murmurs, “Sorry I can’t sweep you off your feet, syrra.  But I supposed that honor belongs to Godric.”  He grins down at her, and the photographer grabs a snapshot of the happy scene.

The crowd feels the intimacy of the place, and later will tell the reporters waiting outside that the club brings back images of the old musicals.  They will state that they would not have been at all shocked if Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers had been among the dancers, having no idea that many of the people on the floor actually knew the two dancers personally.  They would have no suspicion of which vampires the Revelation would allow to come out of hiding…

The music and the dreamy atmosphere all help to make it a roaring success.  The main group spends the night taking turns dancing with Bella and with each other.  Andrew takes his Queen out for a spin on the dance floor, then Armando claims his own elegant turn.

Godric and Eric watch their little one with pride as she swings in the arms of the other vampires and shows her new confidence in her every move.  They grin to each other, and go back to watching her as they engage in small talk with their peers.

 

* * *

Pamela has her own suitors, but she watches how Bella has everyone eager to dance with her.  She hears about how the club is amazing, that there is nothing like it even in Vegas. She smirks and wonders how Felipe will deal when he hears that.  But at the same time, she keeps watching the syrra of her Maker and wonders why he never paid the same kind of attention to her, his only Child.

Her thoughts turn sour as she considers that when the Revelation happens, she will be stuck in pleather and pvc clothing while Bella will be in silk evening gowns.  And that after the success of this place, _Bella_ will be begged to showcase designer gowns from all over the world instead of her, the queen of couture.

While she will have to put up with the general public making a bore of themselves, Bella will be treated as something to watch and admire, never touch. She will not even be on the floor often.  While she, Pam, will have to check IDs.  Yes, she knows a lot of it has to do with her _vault_ and the information she will gain from the duty, but how can she be happy about that when she sees how well her Master’s syrra will be treated?

Why does she get the preferred treatment?  Eric is even building a new club for when she comes to Shreveport, saying that it will be there for when Bella comes to visit.  He says that Fangtasia will become hers, and that she can run it as she sees fit…like she _wants_ to own a place that will be even worse than their current club?

She sighs, and works to keep her anger from flowing through the Bond to her Maker.  She will not be sent elsewhere, not now, not when Bella Northman is going to be wined and dined.

 

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[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/evan-rachel-wood-aka-sophie-anne-leclerq.jpg)

Throughout the evening, many eyes surreptitiously observe the proceedings in the Club.

Resentful blue eyes furtively watch as her Sheriff and the girl his Maker has Bonded to interact.  Pity, she had been told that the group has been seen in the sunlight.  But when she had thought of taking the girl as her own, a flame had appeared on the wall across from her and had written a message:

‘ _Isabella Marie Northman has gifted her Mate and her Brother with the ability to daywalk.  Any who try to take her from the two of them will be ended on the spot. ~F’_

According to her sources, that same message had been sent in a similar fashion to vampires across the world.  There is no doubt that this Isabella has a Patron in high places.  What a shame, the girl would have been amusing as her lover.  Seems she will need to look into those rumors of Fae living in Louisiana after all.  She will be allowed the sun.  If her own Sheriff is allowed it, then she will be, too.

But what angers Sophie Anne is the attention the human girl is getting.  She is not vampire yet, however Godric has pushed for her to be treated as an equal to those such as she.  Even when she is in attendance, as a _real_ queen, Bella still outranks her since she is the queen of Texas and Sophie Anne is a visiting monarch.

Somehow the girl has managed to have Nash himself announce that _he_ agrees with this move.  Pure stupidity.  Even when she becomes a newborn, she will still be hundreds of years younger than her peers.

Sophie Anne watches as her Sheriff takes his sister out on the floor once again.  That is something else that has everyone wondering.  Isabella is, for all intents and purposes, Eric’s sister.  They look like each other, and as far as any of her own retinue can find, she has always been.  But her past is secreted, hidden from all.  She is not a vampire, though Godric has announced that he will be turning her, as well as that she is his Mate and Bonded.  But how could she be Eric’s sister? He himself is over a thousand years old, but she has heard with her own ears the girl speak with Northman in his native language, one that even his Child does not know.

She taps her glasses against her teeth as she mulls over the possibilities.  Godric only told her about the Turning of his Bonded because he wants Eric to be there during her change.  The Authority had backed his call, and there was nothing she could do but agree.

And her informant in the Authority, the little bitch Nora, is gone.  There is a rumor that she had been given to the Dark Prince to straighten up, and his presence here seems to give credence to that claim.  Her eyes narrow cunningly.  She is going to find a way to mess up his life, one way or the other, due to the inconvenience of losing her Authority Spy.  Her highly placed Authority Spy, at that.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/jude-law-wallpaper-4-702213.jpg)

Sighing, she smiles up at Andre as he holds a hand out to her to dance with him.  Her Andre…always willing to work with her.  Yes.  She will send him to deal with the Dark Prince.  He will be able to complete the job easily.  Yes.

And with that, she heads out to the dance floor, the plans in her head churning away.

 

* * *

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/emmetts-eyes.png)

Across from the Queen, a pair of perplexed golden eyes watches the human in the arms of the tall blond.  His brow is furrowed;  the information he was given does not seem to match what is going on, nor did the woman match his memories of her.  She is much more.

The way she sweeps across the floor in the blond’s arms, dressed in an exquisite white gown with a black lace overlay on top, is nothing like what the Isabella Swan he knew could have been able to do.  She had just been too clumsy, too unsure of herself.

Then there is the issue of her eyes.  He had seen them many times and they are not the chocolate brown that he remembered.  Hair color can be changed with dyes, and he could have misremembered the slight change in her facial structure and body.  But the eyes?  Nope.  Not with that crystalline shine to them.

Her facial structure and body lines are different, and she seems to be more of the man holding her in his arms than of Charlie.  But maybe it’s because she’s standing straight and proud.  The girl he knew had been always hunched over, watching her feet.

He also is confused.  If she needed rescuing, why the dress, and the expensive necklace and jewelry?  Why the ring?  And how she is being handed off is not like she is being forced, not with that laugh.

He had watched when she danced with the one vampire, and there had been nothing forced in that dance.  No, he knows he needs to act tonight, but he will be taking her elsewhere to find out what has really happened.

Things are not adding up.

 

* * *

In another corner, a pair of angry blue eyes, narrowed with hatred, observes the Mated pair as they dance.  “They will be punished.”

A face with a matching pair of eyes nods. “I will make sure of it.  Is it too late to stop it?” He too is watching the woman in the arms of the vampire she should have never found.

The female sighs. “She has been blessed by Freya.  There is a chance, there is always a chance, but we will need to make sure the blond doesn’t find his other half.  Except no one has any ideas where she is.  I am beginning to suspect that she is not human.  You know my little know it all cannot see anything that is not vampire or human.” She sighs as she acknowledges the restriction of her main source of information.

The male growls. “How is it that She has been able to block all these Mates and yet now they seem to be finding each other so easily?  It makes no sense.”

The female’s eyes narrow into slits.  “No, it doesn’t, does it.  Like this woman, she should have never found Godric.  But somehow, he happened to land in the wrong airport, and happened to catch a snatch of her scent.  And instead of ignoring it, he went and found her.  How? This smacks of someone interfering.”  She will make them suffer if she finds out who is making all her efforts go to waste.  Because somehow the ones that she never wanted to see Mated, and therefore becoming even more powerful, are all finding each other.  If she is not careful, the prophecy will self-fulfill.

The two watch for a few more minutes, then fade away, making sure nothing of their presence is left. They had some strong questions to ask.

 

* * *

Later on the dance floor Eric dances a faster set with Bella, and she finally has to tell him, “I need a human moment.” She is laughing, her face flushed, but she needs a second to herself.

He nods then twirls her to edge of the dance floor.  He is going to walk her to the restroom, but is stopped by his Queen.  Bella nods to her, then apologizes for needing to step away.  Eric kisses on her cheek, murmuring, “Be careful, syrra.  If you can, grab Char.” He pulls back and watches her eyes that match his exactly until he feels and sees her agreement.  He smiles, and then bows to his Queen, “How may I help you?” He expertly hides his laughter at her anger for him putting his lillasyster ahead of her.

Bella walks away, hiding her own laughter.  The feelings Eric actually has are so different from the ones he shows the woman.  She quickly heads to the restroom, wanting to hurry before she has her guards worried.  She looks around, but, not seeing Char anywhere, decides to go anyway.  No one should miss her for such a brief amount of time, and who would try something in the woman’s bathroom?  It only has one exit.

She slides in and, after doing her business, approaches the sinks.  As she washes her hands, she looks down with love at the ring from Godric.  She listens to the phrases in the background from the current singer, then a movement causes her to look up, but it’s too late.  A cloth covers her face and she never gets to look at her assailant.

 

* * *

**Final count:  2,505 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	30. So Sick At Heart

# So Sick At Heart

 

**[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/road-to-the-coast.jpg) **

**Pre Edit Count – 2,806 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Wretches and Kings_ by Linkin Park

 

* * *

_Previous:_

_She slides in and, after doing her business, approaches the sinks.  As she washes her hands, she looks down with love at the ring from Godric.  She listens to the phrases in the background from the current singer, then a movement causes her to look up, but it’s too late.  A cloth covers her face and she never gets to look at her assailant._

_Now:_

 

* * *

The minute Bella loses consciousness, Godric and Eric both freeze from the loss of their Bond with her.  Jasper also freezes since he always keeps a mental bead on her, the same as Peter.  The four of them simultaneously standing up straight and looking at each other before they move is enough to catch the attention of several in the crowd.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/alexander-skarsgard-68.jpg)

Eric rudely excuses himself from the Queen’s presence, but Bella matters much more.  If he discovers that the Queen had anything to do with this he will want nothing more than to remove her head. He will gladly take on the mess that will happen if he takes over the state at this time.  That is, if Godric doesn’t beat him to it.  Or Jasper.  Or Peter…

He meets up with Godric a few steps before they head to her last known location. “Chuaigh sí go dtí an seomra folctha. D’iarr mé uirthi a aimsiú Charlotte, ach dealraíonn sé nach raibh sí ag éisteacht.” ( _She went to the bathroom.  I asked her to find Charlotte, but it seems she did not listen_.) There is no blame attached since they both know Bella to be independent.  She wouldn’t see the risk of going to the bathroom alone.  Of course, none of them thought it would be a risk either.

Peter and Jasper meet them just before they get to the restroom, and the scent that Jasper detects makes him growl.  The contacts that he had put in for the night dissolve as he snarls out, “Cullen!” His eyes blacken as he tries to act somewhat human for the benefit of the few humans in the crowd around them.

Eric turns to him and asks, “Which one?” He has studied the specs on the Cullens so that he would recognize them, and has kept watch over the room.  It irritates and upsets the Viking that one of them has been here and he hadn’t noticed.  He has failed in protecting his lillasyster from a known assailant.

To stop Jasper from moving through the crowd looking for a Cullen in a way that would expose them, Peter places a hand on his shoulder as he answers Eric.  “Emmett.  Why would he take Bella?” It doesn’t make sense.

Then Peter stiffens. “Where is Charlotte?” His body goes on alert, and after slightly shoving Jasper to Eric, he takes off looking for his Mate.

Godric snarls as he storms into the bathroom to find the location from which his Mate was taken.  His rage escalates as he smells that she had been in front of the mirrors but not long enough for her scent to be heavy.  He follows her scent to a side door which he wrenches open, and discovers a window.  “Cén fáth an ifreann tá fuinneog sa closet seomra folctha?” ( _Why the hell is there a window in the bathroom closet?_ )

Eric just shakes his head.  That is a very good question and not one he can answer.

There is a sudden movement beside him, and Armando asks, “You wish me to see if she is close?” He too is upset that the slight woman he had danced with, had made friends with, was taken from a place she should consider safe.

Before Eric can answer, Godric is gone.  Shaking his head, he glances at Jasper, then the Cold One is gone too as he follows the ancient vampire.  Rolling his eyes at them all but wanting nothing more to be out there looking for his syrra with them, Eric looks to Armando, “If you would.  This way we will have as many eyes as possible out looking.  I need to be here, but luckily, I can be here in the office.” He and Andrew are the only ones left to access the system.  As a joke Peter has not yet been added, but it is a joke that he curses at this time.

Everyone who remains quickly moves to other places.  Andrew goes out into the crowd to make it seem as though they have a regular vampire issue that requires both Godric and Bella to oversee, while the rest of the nest is as they normally would be.

 

Eric enters the office that his syrra hadn’t even had a chance to see yet and quickly plugs the system into the cameras in the club.  He is looking for the elusive Emmett, and curses when he sees that time is missing on a few cameras.  What the hell is going on?

Soon Peter carries Charlotte into the room.  Eric looks up and asks, “Is she ok?” He has grown close to his Guardians during the last month, and is actually worried about her.

He nods. “No idea what happened.  Paul found her in a dark corner.  He had been tasked with keeping an eye on us for the night.  He says the scents were very odd.  I agree.” He caresses his Mate’s face as he tries to think of what could knock out one of them.

Eric growls as he realizes that this was not an impromptu grab of Bella.  No, somehow, this had been planned. He snaps his attention back to the cameras looking for the big man he had familiarized himself with when he had studied all the information available on the Cullens.

He soon discovers that the man had only passed one camera, and luckily the camera had caught him.  He growls out, “This was planned.”  There is no other explanation for how they knocked out a Cold One or how Emmett got in and out without seeing anyone who would have set off an alarm…or how there was a fucking window in the damn bathroom closet that Eric knows was not in the original plans.

Peter looks up from his Mate and nods.  “The thing is, why now?  Why not earlier?  This was not easy to set up, not with as much forethought as had to have gone into this.”

Thinking it over, Eric tells Peter, “Godric was going to ask her tonight when she wished to be turned.  He has started preparing for it.  It would have been when she wanted it, but he was prepared to go to ground with her tonight.  Maybe the pixie somehow saw her making that decision?”

He is frustrated.  This night had been everything Godric had worked so hard to give to his Mate.  He wanted this dream for her, to prove to her that he can and will give her the dreams that she had never even imagined.  Eric knows Godric had planned for everything, except that she would be taken from him.

Peter frowns as he tries to figure out how they knew, then he curses. “Fuck the fucking paps!” He knew there had been something that had bugged him about the whole thing, but his Knower had given him _nothing_ so that he could fix anything.  This is why his so-called _gift_ is no gift.  It didn’t even allow him to protect his own blood!

Looking at him, he pieces together the comment with what they know. Eric says it out loud, “The pictures from the opening, she would have seen them either online or some other way.  It was public enough to give her that glimpse.  And from there she would have the tenor of Bella’s mind to see far enough.  She is still human.” He growls.  But why this night?  He still has no idea.  Maybe it was because she saw Bella here, and that made it possible for them to act?

Growling, Peter rubs his face as he stares at his Mate.  “Even better, Bella’s been having issues with her head lately, right?  Maybe she is more us than human?  Maybe that makes it easier for the little shit to see her better?” He is growling, hating that she’s missing, and hating that he’s tied here until his Mate opens her eyes.  But he _cannot_ leave her side until he knows that she is ok.

Shrugging, Eric asks, “Does it matter?  Either way, she is gone.  Godric is hunting them right now.  They may think they only have to keep her away until the sun rises, but that won’t deter either him or Armando.” He looks up at Peter, knowing that he knows what Eric does… and that no, those two will not stop looking for her, nor will the rest of them once they are free to join the search.

Shuddering, Peter comments, “He scares the hell out of me, and Jasper is also hunting with Godric.  They can’t keep her long.” He knows his sire will do anything for Bella.

Both men send that comment to their Gods, and focus their minds on making sure that no one knows about the kidnapping, and helping to find the little female that had brought them together.

 

* * *

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/kellan-lutz-vman-style-kellan-lutz-11544289-1012-1222.jpg)

Emmett has Bella with him, and he growls as he answers his phone.  “I will bring her when I’m in the clear.  Until then, do what you can to get them off my trail!”  He then hangs up on his brother who he now suspects is not being honest with him.

He looks over at his little sister, and his face softens.  So many people think he’s a just doofus and a jock. No one credits him with much intelligence, but no…something is just not jibing. For one thing, Bella is decked out in black diamonds, and each piece was made for her.  The money present in just her jewelry alone is enough to make him pause.  No one would give a slave this.

And he had caught the expression on her face when she had looked down at the ring on her finger.  It was a look he had associated with her only in reference to his brother.

No, unless sometime during the past month they had worked her over enough for Stockholm syndrome to set in, there is something more going on.  Bella had no handler when she went to the bathroom.  She had moved freely through the crowd.  No one was even following her, not even discreetly.

Though one point for the whole brainwashing thing is the heels she’s wearing, but then, she had never looked down, nor had she tripped all night. In fact, she had moved as though the heels didn’t affect her at all, and he had seen her literally trip on air.

And her eyes!!! The new eye color is really blowing his mind. She smells different, too.  Bella’s unmistakable scent is still present, but there are two _other_  scents mixed in with hers.  He has never smelled anything like it, not even in Mated couples.  No, scents should not be this well mixed, as though her very chemical essence has been changed.

No, not until he can talk to her is he going to allow Edward around her.  What he has seen is not adding up to the picture that was painted of his sister as being taken against her will and used as a bloodbag by the other type of vampire. And he has not forgotten that she is his own brother’s singer.

Plus there is the unusual interest displayed by the three Kings in Volturi.  Why would they be interested in a _human_?  And why not punish the family?  No, instead they had demanded that she be brought to them and changed there as soon as possible.

He sighs as he makes another turn.  He is not paying attention to what’s going on, nor is he making any definite decisions.  He will get his answers before he gives Bella to anyone.  If he needs to, he will turn her himself, or run with her until she grows old and dies.  It is up to her now.

 

* * *

Godric intently follows the car that carries his Mate, never once losing sight of it.  He snarls as he realizes that he needs to allow the vehicle to pull ahead or he will never be able to extract her from it safely, not with as fast as the idiot is driving.  Although if he so much as puts a single bruise or scratch on her, he will face far more from Godric than most would care to contemplate, and that doesn’t include what the rest of the nest would do.

He slows down as he searches the Bond for her yet again.  This non-life she is feeling is not right!   It is all sorts of wrong.  It is even nothing like when she sleeps.  No, there is nothing coming from the Bond.  He is relieved, however, that he had figured out how to use even that non-feeling as a way to track her.

With a glare at the car, he stops and takes off into the air to watch from on high as the vehicle makes turns. They are not deliberate and often have the car on only two wheels.  He snarls, and can hear Jasper’s growl and the cry from the raven as they all witness the careless driving.

Jasper appears near him on a building, and Armando flies down to land.  They are all watching the car, but they are also keeping an eye on the other half of the Mated pair.

Jasper looks up at the snarling Godric.  “Why did he stop?”

Looking up himself, Armando tells him, “It is too risky for him to take her from a moving vehicle. Other than that, I could not tell you.” He is getting angrier at the risks the irresponsible driver is taking with Bella.

Godric turns his face down and asks Armando, “Will you follow her?  You in your other form will not be noticed.” His tactical skills are surging forth, allowing him to plan what he needs to do for his Mate.

Armando nods, and as he jumps, he turns into a raven in a burst of smoke.  He takes wing and from above is soon tracking the car.

Godric is still growling as Jasper stares at him. “What do you want me to do?”

Floating down, he holds out his hand. “Grab my hand, and we will keep as close as we can.”

Jasper jumps and clasps his hand, then feels Godric’s power as it wraps around him and connects him with the ancient vampire.  Quickly they start moving, and Jasper realizes that they are keeping to the rooftops to hide the fact they are flying, and to escape the view of anyone watching the car.

Godric’s brain churns over options.  He finally asks, “Do you think they will try to kill her?”

Jasper shakes his head. “No, they probably want to turn her to see if whatever caused her to repel Edward’s power and his influence on her will manifest in a way that can be used by others.” It had been the plan earlier, without the critical part.  But Godric knows this.  He is asking for the side that wants to turn his own Mate, to have her share his blood in every way possible.

His jaw clenches as his eyes burn with hatred. “Of course.  They always want that.  Makes me wonder why though.”  His brain is searching out all the flaws in that plan.  Bella could be the piece de resistance for any who dislike the current hierarchy.

Jasper looks up at him.  “Because it is a way to make sure they are not overthrown.” He frowns as his own mind tries to keep up with the ancient being beside him.

Godric shakes his head. “No.  There is more to this.  If they are the rulers, how many of you buck against the system?  And if you hate it, why haven’t you tried to take over? If there are enough, they can overrun the talented ones.  So why do they want more?  And Bella’s talent would make it hard for them to control her.  So…why?” His mind is searching for an answer, but it also is working on how to get his Mate back.

Jasper just shakes his head. “I don’t know.  What I do know is that Emmett loves Bella like a sister.  I wonder what they told him to have him participate in this.  And I bet it was because of that love for her that we never saw this happening.  To him, he would be saving her, not taking her.  So, we need to know what his plans are.  He is hopefully confused with how Bella is now.  She smells different, looks different, and acts different.” He smiles as he remembers watching the changes in her, how proud he is of her for her new confidence.  While Godric’s blood fixed the imbalance in her inner ear, it was her desire to be more that caused the most change.

Godric nods, his eyes keeping track of the car that holds his life in it.  “He better not harm her.  If something happens to her, I will avenge her and then follow.  There is no other choice now.” He knows that while Eric and Andrew will suffer, he cannot do otherwise anymore.

Jasper nods.  “I know.  That is why we need her back.  I don’t think Eric will deal with either of your losses.  And we will get her back.  Armando won’t lose Emmett, and we will be there to save her.”

Godric nods, but his eyes never leave the car.

 

* * *

In a warehouse on the edge of the city, two Cold Ones are pacing.  One of them growls at the other, “Where is he?  What is taking him so long?” He is upset – Emmett had hung up on him.  _HIM_.

The other is sitting on the ground, her inky black hair spiked everywhere as she has her eyes closed, trying to see. “I have no idea.  He is not making any decisions.  All I can see is a blank spot again.  I have no idea what is going on with her and why I cannot see the little bitch.” She had seen around the woman, but never her exactly.  Even this evening had been planned around the fact that they had seen Emmett grabbing her.  That is why so much magic and other secrets were used tonight to grab her.

The copper haired Cold One stops and snarls at her, mocking her, “’Leave her, Edward, she will be miserable and welcome a chance to have you back without a question.’  ‘She will be subdued, thinking you are her Mate because of the pain.’ ‘Trust me Edward, when have I led you astray?’”  His eyes blacken. “One fucking job you have, and you fail our Lady!” And he was not able to have any more of his Singer.  He should have been able to drink from her a lot more…

Her red eyes open and she stares at the man in front of her. “I have served our Lady longer than you have been around, Edward.  I have served her so well that until _now_ they thought that Mates were extremely rare and that there is nothing that would let them find them.  Me!  I have been responsible for this! What have you done for the Lady?  Seduced a couple of girls?  Killed the ones that had no useful talent?  Anyone can do that.” Her eyes show her hatred for her so-called brother.  He had been useful, but she will not allow him to mock her centuries of use to their Lady!

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/joaquin_phoenix_99.jpg)

They snarl at each other.  Then from a corner of the room, a man claps as he emerges.  His black hair is cropped short, and, for today, he wears a suit that brings out the blue in his eyes.  The scar he had gotten from his father that stretches from his nose to his lip is one of the few marks he carries of his great age, but the sneer on his face shows his disdain for the two in front of him.

“One simple job.  Make Bella Swan fall in love with you.  Take care never to allow her to cross the paths of Godric Nervii or his Son Eric Northman.  As long as this is done, you would be allowed to avoid taking part in the upcoming fights.  In fact, it was imperative that you didn’t.  But no, you left her.  ALONE!” He snarls the last word at them as he walks up to the two and they cower away from him.

“Because of this one foolish mistake, we lost an important spy in their Authority.  The Dark Prince is active.  Godric is more alive and is now King.  Who knows what will happen with Eric.  You have never been able to tell where the fuck his Mate even is.  Now…now this fucked up mess.  ‘Emmett will bring her.  He will do it.’  Instead, you can’t even see him now.  You can’t see her.  You can’t see SHIT!” He is livid – they have potentially exposed their hand, and for what?  He was already dealing with the ramifications of being the head of a failed experiment and those damn hybrids are causing more and more problems.

Alice tells him, “I am trying.  I don’t understand what is causing Emmett to disappear.” She rubs her temples as she tries to get something, anything, to help them.

He growls.  “Did you tell him that they forced her to become their slave?” He is grasping at straws to remove this disaster from his shoulders.

Edward nods. “Just as you told us.”

The man turns and glares at them, “Did you explain how it changed her?”

The two look at each other then look at him. “Changed her?” They have no idea what he is talking about.  They had explained that Alice cannot seem to see Bella, just those around her, and even then not often.

He snarls, then reaches into his suit he grabs and throws a newspaper at them.  In the paper was a color photo of Eric, Bella, and Godric.  They had made the evening edition.

Edward’s eyes take in the changes.  “How the hell did they do that?  Her eye color is different; her face is different!” His eyes, which had stared at the girl for hours, now quickly see the changes in the woman before him.

 The man backhands him and sends him flying across the room. “You fucking idiot!  Your incompetence is going to cost us!”

Edward just snarls as he stands up.  The man is glaring at him.  “She is the fucking Goddess Blessed sister of Fucking Northman.  As such, it changed her.  As time goes by, she slowly resembles him more and more.  And they probably didn’t even notice!”

Alice shakes her head as she looks down at the photo, then looks back up at the man.  “You know I can only see humans and Cold Ones.  This has been known for the last twenty thousand years!  If you knew this was the problem, why didn’t you tell me?” No wonder she could not see Bella.

The man raises an eyebrow at the woman in front of him. “She is still human and Cold One.  Why would this be any different?”  This made no sense.  If she saw Bella once before, why could she not do it now.  He had thought her excuses were just laziness.

Alice shakes her head at him. “If she is Goddess Blessed, then she has that Other floating in her system from him.  She is no longer human or Cold One enough for me to sense.  As soon as this came to be, I lost her from my sight.” She growls at the man in front of her.

He frowns, then paces.  Thinking it through, he asks, “Can you see me?”

She snorts. “You know I have never seen you, Mordred.  You have never been human.  Northman has always been off my radar as well because of the difference in him.  Now, she is the same as him.  She is as much gone as she could be.”

Edward snarls, “No!  I want to drink her!  It is my reward for dealing with all this bullshit!”

Mordred soon has him up against the wall.  “You will get what we give to you.  Do not make me end you!” He is tired of the pettiness of the child before him.

Alice sighs musically.  “Right now, everything is up to Emmett.  It depends on what he does if it goes our way or theirs.”

Mordred glares into Edward’s eyes. “And you better hope that it goes our way, Mason.”

 

* * *

**Final count:  4,168 words.**

**Leave a review, and show me the love…**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	31. Just Too Much That Time Cannot Erase

# Just Too Much That Time Cannot Erase

 

**[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/375049_334626936665279_1812692285_n.jpg) **

**Pre Edit Count – 2,556 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter:  My Immortal_ by Evanescence

 

* * *

_Previous:_

_Edward snarls, “No!  I want to drink her!  It is my reward for dealing with all this bullshit!”_

_Mordred soon has him up against the wall.  “You will get what we give to you.  Do not make me end you!” He is tired of the pettiness of the child before him._

_Alice sighs musically.  “Right now, everything is up to Emmett.  It depends on what he does if it goes our way or theirs.”_

_Mordred glares into Edward’s eyes. “And you better hope that it goes our way, Mason.”_

_Now:_

 

* * *

Bella slowly opens her blue eyes and lifts her hand to her head.  She winces as the pain pounds away, and she searches for her bonds with her Mate and her brother.  There is nothing more urgent as she wakes and, for a second, doesn’t feel the Bonds to which she had become so accustomed.

She then feels both of them flooding her with love, the feeling settling over her like a blanket.  Both are pulling the pain from her so that she can do what she needs to do, but at the same time she can feel their worry.  Her time as a human is coming to an end, and there is nothing more that they can do to extend it.  The knowledge is like a sharp knife to all of them.

She moans; even with both of them pulling the pain, it is just too real, to immediate.  There is no question that whatever was used to knock her out has accelerated what her Mate and the Goddess had worked so hard to slow down.

A tear falls from her eye as she comes face to face with her mortality.  She can feel both of them comforting her, showing that they are here for her.  She knows this, and had been planning to turn when Godric indicated that he was ready for it.  But to have the choice stripped from them…it hurt.

Her eyes clear, and she moans at the pain stabbing into her eyeballs from the bright light. She hears a sound, and the light is finally dimmed.  She blinks again, and makes out the shape of a familiar outline.  Narrowing her eyes, she snarls, “Cullen.”  She should have guessed it would be one of them that robbed her Mate and brother of the time they had wanted for her.

Emmett eyes widen as he hears the hatred in the voice.  “Bellsy?” This can’t be her…this hatred can’t be from his Jelly Belly.

Bella sits up, a little fast for a human, but then, she is not human any more.  She can feel the presence of her Mate coming closer, and knowing that he is coming to her rescue makes her braver.

“Why,” she spits out at him.

Emmett is just shocked.  He finally says, “Th-they must be right.  Those bloodsuckers must have brainwashed you. Why else would you react like this?” He talks to himself, low enough that she wouldn’t hear him if she were still as she had been.

However, Bella is not the same human he had known and she hears him quite plainly. She sneers at him, “Oh yes, the _bloodsuckers_.  They are the ones who abandoned me without a goodbye. They are the ones who drugged me to the point that I am literally dying now.  But no, that was not enough.  No, you had to pull your stunt and now there is no more fucking time!” She pushes at him, yelling at him.  He is here before her; he is the reason she and her Mate cannot wait anymore and proceed in an orderly fashion.

Shaking his head as he allows her to push him, he asks, “What are you talking about?  We never drugged you!  And who said you’re dying?  And I just used chloroform to knock you out. There is nothing we did to make you run out of time!  Why do you say we left you?  Edward said you didn’t want to see me.  That we disgusted you and you just needed time to deal with everything.” He is trying to make sense of this, but what she says is impossible.  Him poison her?  Never!

She shakes her head, confused by his words. “What?  Edward left me in the forest to be found by whoever happened to be there.  I was fortunate to be found by my Mate and Sam Uley.  My Mate realized that I was acting oddly and called in someone, a doctor, and they are the ones who found that Charlie and I had been drugged.  He only had a small dosage.  But me?  Mine was lethal. And it is all you Cullen’s fault!” She gains her ground back as she remembers those days.

Emmett shakes his head. “I don’t know what they told you, but only our venom is poisonous.” This is what he had been taught and it just makes sense.  It’s how they are turned.  Being poisonous in other ways?  Preposterous!

Bella shakes her head as she glares up at the gentle giant in front of her. “No.  After you left, they did a study.  Mrs. Cope died soon after you left.  Also, when we looked up the places you had been, similar deaths had been noted.  Emmett, grow up.  The world is not what you thought it was.  Did you bother finding out anything on your own, or did you accept the lies of the Cullens?” She places her hands on her hips, the strength being pumped in by her Mate and Eric helping her as well as feeling how close they are.

Emmett is completely confused.  “I don’t understand what is going on.  Your eyes, your body, shit, even your _face_ has changed.  Your hair too, but that could be colored.  You move faster than you should.  You don’t really act like a blood slave.  But you are accusing me of stuff I never heard of.  What is going on?” He is upset and things are not making sense.

A wave of pain envelopes Bella just then and she falls to the ground.  At the same time, the skylight above them bursts and Emmett is knocked over as another blur lands above Bella, snarling.

Emmett looks up at Jasper and his eyes widen as he sees his red eyes.  His brother has him in a hold where if he moves, he will be decapitated.   He looks over to Bella and sees the ancient vampire who had danced with her first snarling at him as he crouches over her in a protective stance. “What the hell is going on here?” He is so confused – he has no idea what to believe.  Why did she collapse?

Eric quickly lands beside his sister, and gives the Cullen a look of pure disgust before kneeling to tend to Bella.  He helps her with the pain, but when he gets her to open her eyes, he blanches at the most obvious sign of the pain being too much. One eyes is almost completely red from the veins bursting.

“Godric, you need to take her to ground now.  I have no idea what is going on, but whatever this idiot used to drug her has made her worse.” His words are harsh, but there is nothing but pure love in the comfort he sends her as he tries to absorb her pain.

A raven is next to land in between Emmett and Bella.  As it nears the ground, it bursts into another vampire.  He looks over at Bella with her brother and Mate.  “Eric is right.  Godric, you need to turn her.  Unfortunately, you need to do it now.  And before you leave, Eric needs to give her some blood.  It will ensure that their Bond will remain.” He is angry, and he knows he will have a chance to expel the anger on the brute sitting under Jasper’s hold.  However, Bella needs to be taken care of first.

Godric snarls, his eyes black with rage.  This is _not_  how this is supposed to happen.  He was supposed to celebrate tonight with his Mate, then, when she was ready, he was going to turn her and go to ground.  He had planned the event as a ceremony to celebrate their Mating, but now…now it is all gone.

He has to drain his Mate here in this warehouse, then go to ground with her.   There will be no ceremony, no candles lit around them as he eases his Mate into her new life.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/th.jpg)

Bella hears the conversation, and feels Godric’s anger and pain.  She reaches her hand out to him and whispers, “Do it. Please.” She knows him, and knows he would have made it something beautiful to remember.  He can do so later, but right now, he needs to be quick and dirty.  “You will get your chance later, my love.”

A blood tear runs down his cheek, “Mo ghrá, a thaisce. Is breá liom tú. Beidh mé ag do thaobh ó anois go dtí deireadh an am. Tá tú go léir de dom. I gcónaí agus go deo. ( _My love, my treasure.  I love you.  I will be by your side from now until the end of time.  You have all of me.  Always and forever_.)

Bella smiles up at him, “I gcónaí agus go deo. Is é sin go léir a iarraidh mé. An bhfuil chun tú a shealbhú mo lámh tríd na blianta.” _(Always and forever.  That is all I ask.  Is for you to hold my hand through all those years_.) Her own tears stream down her face.

Godric shakes, then roars out to the sky above him.  He pulls her to him and places a tender kiss to her lips.  Then he kisses her neck, drops his fangs, and sinks them into her vein.  The entire time, tears of blood run down his cheeks as he drains the life from his Mate.

Emmett struggles, screaming out, “No!  Stop him, he is killing her!” This is not what was supposed to happen! No!  He will change her!  She will not die! She cannot…

Jasper jams his head up higher.  “No, _you_ killed her.  He is changing her.”

Emmett looks up into Jasper’s eyes and tells him, “There is no way I killed Bella!  I wouldn’t hurt a hair on her head!”

Eric growls, his eyes staying on his sister as he watches his Maker drain her. “Her pain was manageable.  It was taking daily doses of our blood and the two of us to pull the pain away from her, but was manageable.  Whatever you used to knock her out accelerated the drug in her brain.  So, my Maker is changing her.” He is snarling at the Cold One, but his eyes never leave his sister.  However, because he can hear the pain in the other’s voice, he decides to give him that information.

Godric senses the moment Bella is at that cliff, the one where he will either give her eternal life, or true death.  He pulls back and brutally rips his wrist open to make sure she will have enough of his blood before it closes.  He watches her and as the wound closes he removes his wrist, and Eric is immediately there pouring his own blood down her throat, massaging it as her body dies. By the time Eric is done, Godric is there with his bloody wrist ripped open again, and they both make sure she swallows.  Godric sighs when he senses the Maker Bond starting to form and the need to take her to ground for their death sleep.  He looks up at Eric who nods, then takes to the air with his Mate held tenderly in his arms.

Armando looks up and tells the rest, “I would get some answers from the lug.  I’m going to follow them and make sure they are covered in time.” With that the Dark Prince leaps into the air, becoming the now familiar cloud of smoke before the raven flies out of it.  He will ensure that they are protected.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/angry-eric-in-black.jpg)

Eric watches them, and holds a hand up when someone tries to talk as he tracks them through his blood.  Since all involved right now are daywalkers, they can wait until he is sure that the two people he loves most in this world are in the ground.  He waits, and then his shoulders hunch as he feels Bella actually die before the magic steps in and starts its work on her.   This is only possible because of the pull they feel, otherwise the vampire-to-be would die and it would be touch-and-go for the Change.  He feels his Maker’s grief as strong as his own, but he manages to stand as he waits for the tingle that announces that he has his sister back.

Finally as the first rays of sun shine down on his blond hair, he feels the anxiously awaited tingle.  His eyes open, and he cares not for the bloody tears that have been running down his face, before in grief, now in joy.

Jasper had held Emmett still, even as the giant breaks down and is dry sobbing in his arms.  He had carefully watched Eric, and when his eyes open, he raises an eyebrow.

Eric glares at the one who had killed his syrra, but, knowing that he had been as worried as the rest, he tells Jasper, “It has started.”

Jasper relaxes a slight bit at the news.  He then looks down at his former brother and tells him, “You are a lucky son of a bitch, you know that?” His voice is hard, harder than the young Cold One has ever heard it.

Eric snarls as he paces up to them, “Not so lucky.  I think it is time to find out what he knows, and what the hell he used on Bella!”  His beast is demanding satisfaction from the one who had hurt his syrra, and here he is!

Emmett shakes his head, “You fuckers just killed Bella and expect me to help you?” He won’t.  HE cannot.  They had killed her and claimed he had done so even as he had watched the fuckers drain her!  He isn’t sure what the blood given to her by them both was for, but she _had_ to be dead with the volume of blood the one had drained from her.

Eric’s face relaxes, “Oh no, I don’t expect you to help us at all.  In fact, I am happy you won’t.  You see, I am now feeling my Maker’s rage from _you_ making him kill his Mate before she was ready.  I also felt Bella’s rage as she realized who took her and what _you_ did to her, and her rage about the time _you_  robbed from them both.  And then there is _my_  own rage.  So yes, please don’t help.  That will be just the thing that I need for the next three nights before I have to help my Maker with Bella since you fuckers managed to mess with my lillasyster to the point that she cannot drink from anyone but us!”  At the end, Eric is in Emmett’s face with his fangs dropped and ready to tear into the son of a bitch who hurt his syrra!

The pure rage vibrating through the Viking is one that Jasper respects and one that actually makes him feel sorry for Emmett.  Eric will take the pain and anger that he and Godric are feeling out on the Cold One.  Then there will be Peter, Andrew and Armando’s rage that will need an outlet…not to mention his own.  Emmett has a rare chance to survive it all.

He looks up at Eric, “Here or do you know of somewhere else?”

Eric turns his head slightly, his fangs are down, and there is no way he will be able to retract them for quite a while.  He smiles, a cold smile showing the side of him that his enemies had learned to never provoke.  “I think for now, I will start here.  But have Peter ready the holding cells.  It seems they are going to get their first visitor.  Once they are ready, we will continue this there.  I have tools there to help.” His grin is pure evil as he thinks of all the toys he can use

Emmett just stares at the tall blond in front of him.  He swallows, then relaxes slightly as he considers that unless Jasper helps him, he will live through this.  But that thought is quickly gone as Eric strikes at Emmett’s throat with his fangs and rips it as though it is nothing more than paper.

Emmett’s scream ends abruptly as Eric’s fangs slice though his voice box.  Eric leaves on just enough of his skin to allow his head to remain attached. He wants the idiot to repair quickly to be able to feel anything and everything they do to him.

Turning his head to the side, he spits out the venom and mentally thanks his Goddess for allowing him to do this with no side effects.  He asks Jasper, “He can still feel everything I do to his body?” His eyes never leave the object of his wrath.

Jasper chuckles.  “Oh yeah.  He will feel every single thing you do to him, even if you didn’t leave the head attached.  Even if you burn parts of him, he will feel it for the rest of his life.” His face looked like his ancestors as he contemplates all the ways to make the idiot below him suffer for Bella’s pain.

Eric has a matching evil grin on his face.  “Good.  He deserves to suffer for leaving her, for not caring enough, and for calling himself her brother and not honoring it.  He will suffer, then we will get answers.  If he doesn’t cooperate, we will repeat as many times as necessary until he does.” His eyes leave Emmett and stare into Jasper’s, knowing he will agree with him.

Jasper looks down at the Cold One he still restrains.  ‘You poor sucker.  You are getting the revenge that Edward deserves.” Then the thought occurs to him, “Eric, while I have nothing against what you have planned, don’t you think it would be better to see if Emmett might know where Edward is?  That way you may have a gift for your sister when she rises.” His eyebrow lifts up as he looks at him.

Eric growls, but he reluctantly nods.  Jasper grins with delight, and then spits on Emmett’s neck.  He holds the head back in place on the body, and grins as he senses the pain of the joining from the Cold One below him.  He takes a stronger hold of Emmett as he feels the Cold One’s venom finish the join.

Emmett’s black eyes open to the blond Viking’s face.  Eric lifts an eyebrow. “Well, wasn’t that fun for an opening?  I suspect you thought that I couldn’t really hurt you.  Now that we have dispensed with proving that you have plenty to fear from me, answer me these questions, and I will allow you the freedom of a night.  If not, then Jasper and I will work you over until you answer the questions anyway.  There is no chance of freedom.  There is no chance of rescue.  In fact, I would welcome it.” He glares down his victim.

Emmett growls at the man, but Eric backhands him hard enough to make his head loosen from the injury he already has.  He might have joined back together, but the wounds are still there, making it a weak spot until he feeds again.

Staring down at the giant, Eric asks him, “Where is Fuckward?” He growls out the name, feeling all the hatred he has for the fucktard.

Emmett again defies him, and Eric looks at Jasper.  “Why can’t they ever just answer the question?  Why must I prove that I am right?” But inside, he admits he is glad that the idiot isn’t giving in. The more pain he can exorcise, the better.  He knows there are many others who want a piece of him, too.

Jasper shakes his head. “I have no idea, but we need to get to work.  I figure Edward will be expecting him soon, and we don’t want to risk him escaping.”  He can’t help the growl coming from his chest, but feeling Eric’s spike of rage at the idea tells him he is not the only one.

Nodding, Eric leans in to start. A scream rings out from the abandoned warehouse and startles the birds who will not return due to the noise that continues for a long, long time. Grief is one thing a being over a thousand years of age is only too familiar with, a being who has felt his family dying around him one too many times.

 

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**Final count: 3,510 words.**

***Just a head's up:**

**1:  This is the next to last chapter of this first segment of the Set You Free Trilogy.**

**2:  All new chapters of Kittyinaz's works are posted to the Wordpress account,<http://kittyinaz.com/>, first, then a day or two later they're posted elsewhere.  So, be sure to check the WP site first!***

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	32. It’s Only Love, It’s Only Pain

 

 

# It’s Only Love, It’s Only Pain

 

 

**[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/mystical-path.jpg) **

**Pre Edit Count – 2,549 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Human_ by Civil Twilight

 

 

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_Previous:_

_Staring down at the giant, Eric asks him, “Where is Fuckward?” He growls out the name, feeling all the hatred he has for the fucktard._

_Emmett again defies him, and Eric looks at Jasper.  “Why can’t they ever just answer the question?  Why must I prove that I am right?” But inside, he admits he is glad that the idiot isn’t giving in. The more pain he can exorcise, the better.  He knows there are many others who want a piece of him, too._

_Jasper shakes his head. “I have no idea, but we need to get to work.  I figure Edward will be expecting him soon, and we don’t want to risk him escaping.”  He can’t help the growl coming from his chest, but feeling Eric’s spike of rage at the idea tells him he is not the only one._

_Nodding, Eric leans in to start. A scream rings out from the abandoned warehouse and startles the birds who will not return due to the noise that continues for a long, long time. Grief is one thing a being over a thousand years of age is only too familiar with, a being who has felt his family dying around him one too many times._

_Now:_

 

 

* * *

Evening falls in Dallas, and a tall blond is hanging in the air above yet another warehouse.  He looks down at the place as he speaks into his mic, “Why can’t they pick some place other than a warehouse?  It’s all so cliché.” He feels much lighter, happily anticipating the upcoming altercation.

A low laugh comes to him over the ear-piece. “Because it’s somewhat expected?  We never said they were smart, but you know what they say about a stupid enemy.” Jasper’s voice is gleeful as they all wait outside the perimeter of Edward’s mind reading ability.

Another laugh is heard as a Scottish voice answers, “A blessing?  When are we getting this started, brother?  I have a new sister rising soon and I want to be prepared for her.” Andrew’s voice is light and teasing, and the popping of his knuckles is heard over the earpieces.  As with the rest, he had taken some of his anger out on the Cold One they had captured, but he is looking forward to his sister rising.

Eric snorts, “And what do you think you need to be prepared for?” He too is looking forward to Bella’s rising, but he cannot fathom what Andrew has planned.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/andrew.jpg)

The voice slyly answers, “Well, she be my Queen, I think she needs some gifts.  Like a car, a new dress or some jewelry to commemorate the occasion, or perhaps even one of the people she hates most in the world?”

Laughter comes over the mic from the different individuals currently positioned around the warehouse.

Eric shakes his head, a small smile playing around his face.  “Are they there?” As he asks for confirmation, he looks down at the place where he hopes to end one of the beings who caused his lillasyster much pain.

Peter’s voice comes over. “They are, but I have a bad feelin’ about this, boss.” His voice is low, the hatred in it obvious as he cannot seem to rely on his so-called gift.

Eric pauses, “Enough of one to call it off?” He listens to Peter, knowing that whatever he knows or has a feel for will give them the edge no matter what.

There was a pause on the mic, and then Peter finally sighs. “I don’t know.  I don’t know if one of us may get hurt, or if they get away.  I’ve told ya before, this ain’t no fuckin’ gift.  It may let me know some stuff, but it seems the times we need it most, it fails us.”

Everyone can hear the frustration in his voice.  Eric thinks it over and he finally tells them, “Go ahead.  On the count of three, attack.  Abort if anything goes wrong – we will have plenty of chances to get them.  They aren’t going to leave us alone.”

With agreement across the lines, Eric stares down at the place that may hold those responsible for the death of his little sister.  He clenches his jaw, then counts down.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/eric-angry-sad.jpg)

On three, the warehouse looks like it explodes.  Andrew comes in the front door as Peter and Charlotte come in through one of the entrances high on the building.  Armando comes in through the back door, and Eric crashes through the roof.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/armando.jpg)

Edward was already moving when they burst in, and he is through a wall in seconds with Peter and Charlotte on his trail. The rest take the opportunity to surround the last Cullen in the room.

The other three corner Alice with Eric hovering above.  She laughs at them. “Do you really think you will capture us?”

Andrew just smirks. “Yes.” Where else can she go?  If she goes through the wall, they will follow her.  There is nothing he can think of that will allow the pixie in front of him escape.

She laughs gaily at them, then without warning, steps back into the shadow behind her.  They all go to grab her, and come up with nothing.  It is as though she became a ghost.

“Did you really think it would be this easy?” Her voice chimes through, and then the shadow blows away as mist.

Eric curses then flies back out through the hole he made to help Peter and Charlotte.  One of them, any of them, will do.  He wants his revenge.

The others also explode from the building, leaving Andrew in place in case it was a ruse and she is still there.

Eric rushes after the three, and roars as he nears Peter and Char only to find that they lost Edward.  He hits a building in his rage, leaving a huge mark in it.

Peter is also pissed. “I knew the fucker was fast, but how the hell is he _that_ fast?” His gift was supposed to be his mind reading, so how the hell is he that fast?

Eric shakes his fist.  “Knulla!”

Peter just shakes his head.  “I think we need to go to Bella and Godric’s grave,” he says as a cold shiver runs down his spine.

Eric glances at him, then looks in the direction of where the Cold One had gone.  “Shit! After him!”

The three chase the Cold One through the city even though he had managed to evade them earlier.  The direction he heads in is enough to make them work even harder to find him before her finds the grave.

 

 

* * *

Edward curses Alice in his head as he runs. He cannot believe that, after all this time, she is just _now_ admitting that she is blind to them.  What about Peter and Charlotte?  Or even Jasper?

He prays to the Dark Lady in thanks for granting him speed in addition to his ability to read minds.  It was the only reason he had gotten away in time, and escaped the Viking in the sky along with Peter and Charlotte.  He went where their minds weren’t, and continued doing so until he was free of them.

He soon glides in among a crowd of people on McKinney Street and laughs to himself as he realizes that he is close to the Club that just opened – the one that had enabled them to grab Bella.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/bobpatz.png)

He had been instrumental in adding some designs into the plans that had not been there originally.  These additions were easily overlooked, like the window in the closet of the female’s bathroom.  On the outside, it matched the other ones he had added so the contractor thought it was to make everything look right on the outside.

It had been one of his more brilliant moves, and proving yet again why the Dark Lady likes him.  His ability to glamour the idiots has also come in mightily handy many a time.

With Alice only seeing that Bella would be taken by Emmett on that date, they all had to work toward that one specific event, although they all wish there had been another day Alice could have seen.

He had done much to bring Bella to _his_ side instead of the ancient vampire.  She was his singer.  And her shield! He had finally found someone whose every thought he couldn’t hear!  They had all been shocked at it blocking him as a human.  That was when the Dark Lady had met with the Kings and they decided that Bella was to become one of them.

As a reward, he would be the one to drink from her and change her. There would be others there to ensure that she wasn’t drained and killed, of course, but having _any_ of her delightful blood was enough.  Plus, there were all the times he’d bled her when she slept that had helped slack his thirst.

He chuckles as he walks down the busy street with all the drunk humans.  How foolish of Emmett and Bella to even imagine that he controlled his thirst around her.  No, he had sated it each and every night, and worked his glamour on her to make her give in to him.

His eyes darken as he regrets having to leave Bella.  It had taken a lot, Alice’s promises along with an express order, for him to leave her.  He had not wanted to be away from his singer’s blood for _any_ amount of time.  Since it wouldn’t be that long until he had to change her, each night lost was a true waste of her bouquet.

As he moves away from the street, he keeps mindlessly moving, his brain bringing him to back the memory of her fragrant blood.

Then, as the sun is about to rise, he smells her.

With a growl, he starts to hunt her.  He knows that tracking is not one of his strong points, but following the scent of his singer? For that any vampire becomes a tracker of renowned ability.

He soon is standing above a patch of newly turned dirt outside of the city.  He quickly digs down, and finds his Bella in the arms of the other vampire.  He snarls at the other one, but he can smell her scent changing, the bouquet becoming weaker as it mixes with the blood of the other.  Without a pause, he bites her wrist, intending to indulge until he needs to force his venom in her.

This saves his life, or at least for that moment.  Out of nowhere, she is ripped from him and he finds the tall blond vampire snarling at him with his fangs down. He pile drives him into the trees surrounding the grave.

Edward struggles to get away from him, and the blond just smiles evilly.  Edward looks at him. “You think she loves you?  She just wants to use you to become immortal.  It’s all she wanted from me,” he growls at the taller one.

The blond raises Edward’s arm and bites down on it, tearing it almost off. Edward grits his teeth at the pain, thinking that his words hurt the blond.

Eric looks up at him, “I wanted to give you a wound that matches my syrra’s since you didn’t protect her much then.”

Edward just laughs. “That?  That was all planned.  We needed to make sure that she would trust me more, as well as the family.    Alice had seem them entering the area, and saw what would happen if we didn’t interrupt it.  One of my better plans, all in all.”

Eric snarls at him, and lunges for Edward’s neck.  Edward manages to flip out of his hold, but Eric catches one of his ears and slices right through it. It is torn in half, but still attached to his head.

Standing where he lands, Edward reaches up with his good hand and feels his ear. “Fuck! You’ll  pay for that shit.”

Eric just laughs.  “This is only the beginning.”  Edward dodges his grab, and Eric flies at him, not thinking about his moves ahead of time like he normally does.

They continue this dance for a couple of minutes, then a rock-hard body slams into Edward from behind.

Turning his head, Edward grins evilly at him. “Brother!  Fancy meeting you here.”

Jasper growls at him, but before he can do anything else, Edward is gone in a swirl of black smoke.  Jasper hits the dirt in front of him as Eric lands. He had the fucker in his very hands!

Eric snarls, furious that they seemed to lose both of them the same way. “Did he hurt her?”

Jasper picks up her arm and sniffs, and his shoulders sag, “No venom, but he got a swallow in.” He can smell the difference in her blood.  It is now a mix of both Godric and Bella, with Eric still there.

Eric’s eyebrow lifts as he remembers about Bella’s blood.  He smirks. “Really?” His eyes gleam and he hopes the fucker likes the swallow he had.

Jasper jumps out of the hole, and starts to cover the two back up.  When Eric starts working beside him, he sends the tall blond his curiosity.

Eric chuckles.  “Fuckward will be experiencing some issues soon.  We don’t know how her blood will affect others, but I distinctly remember that it is poison.  I don’t think we have heard the last of him.  But if we have, it is fitting that he die from drinking her blood.” He is pleased.  But somehow, he figures that Edward will be back and bothering them sooner than they wish.

Jasper smirks as the two of them work hard to replace the dirt as fast as possible.  Afterwards, they sit and watch the spot where Bella and Godric rest.  Jasper ponders for a minute, and then asks, “Why didn’t either of them wake?”

Considering everything that has happened, Eric absentmindedly answers him, “During this time Godric is actually in the same state as she is.  This is what will make the Maker/Child bond between them strong.  His blood is being used to build her up, to make sure she is healed and ready for her new future.  All I know is that when I changed Pam, I was in a state of semi-awareness.  But Godric told me that during my turning, he was completely out.  He woke up just in time to make sure I had something to drink when I rose.  He figures that if you feel the pull, your body and blood work to make the most of the change.  I came out more powerful than most vampires.  Pam was normal.  Nora was the same.  And Godric was semi-aware during her change.”

Jasper just shakes his head.  “I wonder what makes it so different for our types.  It takes three days to change a human to a Cold One, and three nights for one of your type to change.  The biggest differences is that you go to ground with them.  We can turn a human without meaning to.” The Bond between the sire and Child is a huge difference, too, and they both know it. But that isn’t the differences occupying their minds right now.

Eric blinks.  “I wonder why that is so.  It seems like our types are similar, like someone tried to copy the other.”

Nodding, Jasper folds his hands behind his head. “I wonder who was first.”

Eric laughs. “I know that answer, but it won’t help because he is different from the rest of us.  But maybe you’ll meet him.  Until then, I think we will find out more and more about our types in the days to come.  I don’t think they will try for Bella again, but if they do, we will all be better prepared.  My little sister is in for a lot of training when she wakes up,” Eric growls out the end.  He will never leave his syrra defenseless again.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/jasper.jpg)

Jasper thinks about it, then tells him, “Don’t push too far.  She will understand, but remember, she will be unique.  She will have to deal with all the changes, too.  She might have known she was going to become one of you, but this was not planned out.  She will have to still come to terms with her life ending much faster than she wanted.” And she is stubborn, too, but he doesn’t need to tell her brother that.  Not only does he know her, but he’s as stubborn as she is.

Nodding, Eric stands as Peter and Charlotte appear, each carrying a cooler.

Peter shakes his head. “I’m sorry, Eric.  I wish this _whatever_ it is I have would be more helpful.”

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/peter.jpg)

He looks down at his Guardian. “Peter, you give us plenty of information.  You are not a full seer, and I don’t expect you to know everything.  I only wish for you to tell me if you get feelings about something.  There was no way to even guess that Edward would find Bella.” He puts his hand on the shoulder of his Guardian.

Peter and Jasper shake their head. “We should have made sure that Bella was cleaned up with no blood present on her.  Edward probably caught a trace of her blood.  With her bein’ his singer, he could track her.”

Looking away toward the horizon that shows the sun slowly setting again, Eric tells them, “It doesn’t matter.  We have plenty to do for the future.  Blaming each other comes to no good.  We know now.  Now hand me some blood bags, and have some ready for Godric.  It takes quite a bit for the first feeding, and if she can only feed from us, well…” he drifts off, knowing that they are all aware of what will be needed.

Paul came in as a wolf along with the rest of those in the nest who are close to them.  They all move about and are ready to protect the newborn and the two who will be feeding her.

In time, Godric wakes and surges through the dirt to the top of the grave.  He brings Bella with him – he refuses to have his Mate awaken in her grave alone.  Even Eric had only had to thrust a hand free before Godric broke with convention and brought him out.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/godric-sad.png)

Eric hands him a blood bag, which he accepts gratefully.  He then reaches inside of his jacket and hands Charlotte the jewelry he had removed from Bella before he buried them.  The dress is lost, but he saved their engagement ring and the pieces he suspects she would still like.

Charlotte takes the package that had been wrapped in Godric’s silk handkerchief, then opens the other container and gets ready to hand blood bags to the vampires when Bella awakens.

Even the night seemed to be holding its breath, waiting for the newest vampire to awaken.  Finally her Bonds stir to life, and as they all watch, her eyes open.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/bella1.png)

 

**To be Continued in: Put Your Feet Up to The Edge**

 

 

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**Final count:  3,196 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**

****A/N:   Well, ladies and gentlemen, this is the last chapter of _this_ portion of the trilogy.  I am working on completing stories before I post, and  will announce when the next part is ready.  For more information, check out my blog; the link is in my profile.  Thank you for your time and interest, and as always, reviews are appreciated.**  
**


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